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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: current · branch · stem · chair · mouse · land · bat · lean

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. land — to come down
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. land — ground
  7. branch — a division
  8. current — happening now
  9. stem — to come from
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. current — electric
  15. bat — the animal
  16. chair — a leader
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — thin
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. land — a country
  24. bat — in an idiom

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