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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: stand · cell · racket · current · spell · stem · swing · tear

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. swing — in golf
  3. current — electric
  4. tear — to rip
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. spell — a short time
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. cell — in biology
  12. tear — from crying
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stem — to come from
  15. current — of water
  16. stand — to bear
  17. spell — letters
  18. current — happening now
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cell — a phone
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. spell — magic
  24. racket — a loud noise

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