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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: row · racket · current · stick · mine · spring · stem · file

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. row — to paddle
  3. mine — for digging
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. spring — of water
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. file — a tool
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. spring — the season
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — of water
  16. row — a line
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. file — a document
  20. file — a line of people
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. current — electric

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