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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: track · cell · hand · current · leaves · row · season · suit

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. suit — clothes
  6. cell — in biology
  7. track — a path
  8. season — of the year
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. hand — help
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. current — electric
  13. row — to paddle
  14. hand — in cards
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. suit — in cards
  17. cell — a phone
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. season — in sport
  20. track — to keep track
  21. suit — to fit
  22. current — happening now
  23. track — a song
  24. row — a line

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