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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: bank · court · mark · leaves · net · current · chest · lean

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. current — of water
  3. lean — thin
  4. bank — for money
  5. chest — a box
  6. mark — a trace
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. court — for sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. court — of a king
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. current — happening now
  15. court — of law
  16. mark — a grade
  17. net — in sport
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bank — for money
  20. lean — to bend
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bank — of a river
  23. net — for catching
  24. leaves — of a tree

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