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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: land · current · race · foot · stem · bat · rock · fine

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bat — the animal
  3. land — to come down
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. race — a contest
  6. rock — a stone
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. foot — a measure
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. current — happening now
  13. race — the arms race
  14. rock — music
  15. land — ground
  16. fine — high quality
  17. land — a country
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. current — of water
  20. fine — all right
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. current — electric
  23. stem — to come from
  24. race — humankind

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