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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: stem · jam · row · court · current · chest · lash · bulb

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. court — of law
  3. current — electric
  4. current — of water
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bulb — for light
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. chest — of your body
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. row — to paddle
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. current — happening now
  14. chest — a box
  15. court — for sport
  16. bulb — for light
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. court — of a king
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. row — a line
  24. bulb — of a plant

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