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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 116 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: tear · stem · chip · lash · field · bore · bank · wax

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. tear — from crying
  4. chip — to eat
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bank — for money
  8. bore — to tire
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. field — farmland
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bank — for money
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bore — to drill
  15. stem — to come from
  16. chip — for betting
  17. field — a subject
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. wax — to grow
  21. field — for sport
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. lash — to lash out

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