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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. march — the month
  6. current — of water
  7. bank — for money
  8. current — electric
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bank — for money
  11. hand — help
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. march — music
  14. current — happening now
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. hand — in cards
  17. march — the month
  18. face — to confront
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. face — part of the head
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bank — of a river

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