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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 116 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: stem · bank · clip · tear · spell · object · hand · current

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bank — for money
  3. object — an aim
  4. tear — from crying
  5. current — happening now
  6. spell — a short time
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bank — of a river
  9. tear — from crying
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — help
  12. object — a thing
  13. spell — magic
  14. object — to protest
  15. bank — for money
  16. clip — for paper
  17. spell — letters
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. hand — in cards
  20. current — electric
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. clip — to cut
  23. current — of water
  24. clip — a video

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