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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 · bear · racket · wind · face · pass · leaves · stem

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. current — of water
  3. face — to confront
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. current — electric
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. wind — moving air
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pass — a permit
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. face — to point toward
  13. stem — to come from
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bear — the animal
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. current — happening now

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