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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lean · stem · current · cue · wound · stick · plane · field

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to bend
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. plane — a tool
  5. field — farmland
  6. current — happening now
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. cue — a signal
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. current — electric
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — for pool
  15. wound — an injury
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — for sport
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. wound — an injury
  20. current — of water
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. plane — in geometry
  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