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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: wound · court · board · stem · cabinet · ground · current · racket

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. current — of water
  3. current — happening now
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. stem — to come from
  8. board — to get on
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. ground — the earth
  11. court — for sport
  12. ground — crushed
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wound — an injury
  15. court — of a king
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. current — electric
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. board — a committee
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. court — of law
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. stem — a stem cell

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