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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 · capital · current · net · stem · field · mouse · mug

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — farmland
  3. mug — to rob
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. net — after costs
  6. current — of water
  7. net — in sport
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. current — electric
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. stem — to come from
  12. net — for catching
  13. mug — a face
  14. field — for sport
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. sharp — clever
  17. mug — a cup
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. current — happening now
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. capital — a city
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. capital — money
  24. mouse — for a computer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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