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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: stem · deal · cold · club · pit · row

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. club — a group
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. row — a line
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pit — in a race
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. cold — an illness
  10. deal — to handle
  11. cold — not warm
  12. row — to paddle
  13. club — for dancing
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. club — for golf
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell

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