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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: deal · stem · swing · wind · pit · file · race · track

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  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. stem — a stem cell
  2. swing — to play on
  3. track — a path
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pit — in a race
  7. file — a line of people
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — a contest
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. pit — a hole
  15. track — to keep track
  16. swing — in golf
  17. wind — moving air
  18. swing — music
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — to handle
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a document
  23. track — a song
  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