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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: plane · shower · lean · stem · bank · content · rush · sharp

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bank — for money
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. lean — thin
  5. bank — of a river
  6. sharp — clever
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. content — the amount
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. content — happy
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bank — for money
  16. plane — a tool
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. lean — to bend
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. shower — rain
  23. rush — hurry
  24. stem — to come from

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