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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. row — a line
  3. track — a path
  4. cell — a phone
  5. dip — to sink
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. current — electric
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. current — happening now
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. track — to keep track
  17. current — of water
  18. kid — to tease
  19. track — a song
  20. cell — in biology
  21. row — to paddle
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. stem — to come from
  24. row — a quarrel

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