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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.

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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: bank · spring · shower · current · face · lie · net · stem

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. shower — rain
  3. current — of water
  4. current — electric
  5. spring — of water
  6. lie — to recline
  7. net — after costs
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. face — to point toward
  10. spring — the season
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. net — for catching
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bank — of a river
  15. face — part of the head
  16. shower — to wash
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. net — in sport
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. current — happening now
  21. stem — to come from
  22. spring — a coil
  23. face — to confront
  24. bank — for money

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