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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: face · land · pitcher · current · spring · bank · dip · stem

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bank — for money
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stem — to come from
  5. land — to come down
  6. face — to confront
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — of water
  9. dip — to sink
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. land — ground
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. face — to point toward
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — electric
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bank — for money
  19. land — a country
  20. spring — the season
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. current — of water
  23. bank — of a river
  24. face — part of the head

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