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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  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. object — to protest
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. current — happening now
  4. stem — to come from
  5. current — of water
  6. object — an aim
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. object — a thing
  9. last — finally
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. row — to paddle
  13. last — final
  14. current — electric
  15. row — a line
  16. can — a tin
  17. last — to go on
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. can — a tin
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. can — to be able to
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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