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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · rest · suit · pound · season · current · stem · game

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. game — wild animals
  3. hand — help
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. current — electric
  6. hand — in cards
  7. season — in sport
  8. rest — what's left
  9. season — of the year
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. suit — to fit
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. stem — to come from
  16. suit — in cards
  17. rest — a break
  18. current — of water
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. suit — clothes
  21. game — a match
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. stem — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com