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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: current · race · fall · stem · bat · track · patient · nail

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bat — the animal
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. current — of water
  9. current — happening now
  10. track — to keep track
  11. fall — the season
  12. current — electric
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. race — humankind
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. track — a path
  23. stem — to come from
  24. track — a song

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