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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: ball · stem · saw · foot · rash · bat · game · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. saw — the tool
  3. current — electric
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. ball — a dance
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. saw — the tool
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. current — happening now
  13. rash — hasty
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bat — the animal
  16. game — a match
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. game — wild animals
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. rash — a series
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. rash — on the skin

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