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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: ground · mouse · current · land · stem · chair · safe · tube

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  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. current — electric
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. ground — the earth
  5. land — a country
  6. tube — a container
  7. land — to come down
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. current — of water
  10. ground — a position
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. tube — the underground
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. current — happening now
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. ground — crushed
  21. chair — a leader
  22. stem — to come from
  23. land — ground
  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