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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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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: bass · current · lean · dip · chest · saw · bank · branch

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. current — of water
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. current — happening now
  6. bass — low music
  7. saw — the tool
  8. lean — thin
  9. current — electric
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — for money
  15. chest — of your body
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bass — the fish
  20. branch — a division
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. saw — the tool
  24. dip — to sink

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