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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: current · row · chest · cue · stem · saw · toast · march

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. march — music
  4. current — happening now
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — for pool
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. march — the month
  9. toast — bread
  10. row — to paddle
  11. saw — the tool
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. row — a line
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. chest — of your body
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cue — a signal
  21. current — electric
  22. march — the month
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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