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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: rule · straw · hand · stem · club · current · roll · wind

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. wind — moving air
  4. current — of water
  5. roll — a cake
  6. stem — to come from
  7. roll — a list
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rule — a law
  10. hand — in cards
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. club — a group
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. club — for dancing
  16. wind — moving air
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. hand — help
  20. current — electric
  21. club — for golf
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. current — happening now
  24. rule — to rule out

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