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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: mug · bay · lean · stem · wound · craft · bank · cold

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — a skill
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — to come from
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. lean — thin
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. mug — to rob
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. mug — a cup
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mug — a face
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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