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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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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: current · stem · can · chest · plane · bark · season · lean

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. season — in sport
  3. chest — of your body
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. chest — a box
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. current — of water
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. lean — to bend
  12. can — a tin
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. current — happening now
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — to shout
  17. season — of the year
  18. lean — thin
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. can — a tin
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. current — electric
  24. chest — of your body

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