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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: bay · wake · rash · row · bat · current · stem · roll

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. roll — a cake
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. current — electric
  7. stem — to come from
  8. row — a line
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. current — happening now
  12. rash — a series
  13. roll — a list
  14. current — of water
  15. wake — a trail
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. row — to paddle
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. stem — 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