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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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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: cell · stick · current · row · stem · kid

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. row — a line
  3. current — of water
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. cell — a phone
  10. stem — to come from
  11. current — electric
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. row — to paddle
  14. kid — to tease
  15. cell — in biology
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. current — happening now
  18. stick — to attach or keep to

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