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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: chip · bark · row · current · wind · stem · court · cell

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. current — of water
  3. chip — for betting
  4. row — a line
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. row — to paddle
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. stem — to come from
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. court — of law
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. cell — a phone
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. wind — moving air
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — electric
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bark — to shout

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