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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: present · ball · field · stem · land · wake · root · current

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. current — electric
  3. current — happening now
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. land — to come down
  6. root — of a plant
  7. field — farmland
  8. present — there
  9. land — ground
  10. present — a gift
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. land — a country
  14. ball — a great time
  15. current — of water
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. present — the time now
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. ball — a dance
  21. root — of a word
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. stem — to come from
  24. wake — a trail

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