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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: stem · lean · current · row · cold · lash · chest · spring

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — a box
  8. cold — an illness
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. current — electric
  12. spring — of water
  13. lean — thin
  14. spring — a coil
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. spring — the season
  18. cold — not warm
  19. current — happening now
  20. chest — of your body
  21. lean — to bend
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. row — a line

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