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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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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: last · swing · current · mark · game · stem · row · stand

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — to paddle
  4. current — happening now
  5. stand — to bear
  6. current — electric
  7. swing — in golf
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — finally
  12. stem — to come from
  13. swing — music
  14. mark — a grade
  15. current — of water
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. mark — a trace
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. last — final
  22. swing — to play on
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. stand — on your feet

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