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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 120 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: row · last · wound · fine · track · stem · stock · cue

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. cue — for pool
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. stock — goods
  5. last — final
  6. row — to paddle
  7. last — to go on
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. track — a path
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — high quality
  12. cue — a signal
  13. stock — shares
  14. stem — to come from
  15. track — a song
  16. row — a line
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. cue — a hint
  19. wound — an injury
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. last — finally
  22. fine — all right
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stem — a stem cell

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