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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: current · fall · craft · file · stem · row · chip · temple

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — boats
  4. current — of water
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. row — to paddle
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. chip — for betting
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. fall — to drop
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. current — happening now
  13. file — a document
  14. chip — to eat
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. fall — the season
  18. current — electric
  19. file — a tool
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. row — a line
  22. file — a line of people
  23. stem — to come from
  24. fall — to drop

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