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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 120 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: tube · suit · row · sharp · bat · drill · stem · court

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. 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. stem — to come from
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. court — for sport
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. drill — army training
  9. tube — the underground
  10. suit — to fit
  11. court — of a king
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bat — the animal
  14. court — of law
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. suit — clothes
  18. row — a line
  19. drill — a practice
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. tube — a container
  22. suit — in cards
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. 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