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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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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: track · club · racket · row · race · cue · can · stem

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. club — a group
  3. cue — a signal
  4. track — to keep track
  5. row — to paddle
  6. race — the arms race
  7. club — for golf
  8. can — a tin
  9. race — a contest
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a hint
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. race — humankind
  19. row — a line
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. club — for dancing

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