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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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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: saw · chair · bear · stem · band · suit · track · current

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. current — happening now
  5. track — a path
  6. saw — the tool
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. saw — the tool
  9. band — a music group
  10. bear — the animal
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. chair — a leader
  13. track — a song
  14. suit — to fit
  15. track — to keep track
  16. suit — in cards
  17. current — electric
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. stem — to come from
  20. suit — clothes
  21. bear — the animal
  22. band — a ring
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. current — of water

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