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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: current · lean · field · tube · stem · lash · cabinet · bank

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bank — of a river
  4. field — for sport
  5. current — of water
  6. current — happening now
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. tube — a container
  12. lean — to bend
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. field — farmland
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. field — a subject
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. lean — thin
  21. current — electric
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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