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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: press · row · stem · bulb · pitcher · squash · bat · current

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. current — electric
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. squash — the sport
  9. current — happening now
  10. row — a line
  11. press — a publisher
  12. squash — to crush
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. press — newspapers
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. press — to push
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bulb — for light
  22. current — of water
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bulb — 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