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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: mine · stem · current · net · calf · field · straw · racket

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. net — for catching
  3. field — a subject
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. current — happening now
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — for sport
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. net — after costs
  18. stem — to come from
  19. net — in sport
  20. current — electric
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. current — of water

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