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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 124 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: sharp · stem · face · rest · field · content · current · board

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. current — happening now
  4. rest — what's left
  5. sharp — clever
  6. field — farmland
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. face — to point toward
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — happy
  12. current — electric
  13. stem — to come from
  14. board — to get on
  15. content — the amount
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. field — a subject
  18. face — to confront
  19. current — of water
  20. face — part of the head
  21. field — for sport
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. board — a committee

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