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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. bank — for money
  5. stem — to come from
  6. lean — thin
  7. track — a path
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. current — happening now
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bank — for money
  15. track — a song
  16. rash — hasty
  17. current — of water
  18. rash — a series
  19. bank — of a river
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. lean — to bend
  22. current — electric
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bat — the animal

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