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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: deal · leaves · stem · current · last · fork · jam · stand

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. current — electric
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. stand — to bear
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. deal — to handle
  15. current — of water
  16. last — final
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. last — finally
  19. current — happening now
  20. fork — in a road
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. last — to go on

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