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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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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: last · chest · bank · current · nail · row · stand · cell

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. current — of water
  3. cell — a phone
  4. last — to go on
  5. bank — of a river
  6. cell — in biology
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. bank — for money
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. last — final
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. row — a line
  16. bank — for money
  17. stand — to bear
  18. current — electric
  19. current — happening now
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. chest — of your body
  23. last — finally
  24. row — to paddle

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