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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: chest · bank · wake · stand · current · lean · band · foot

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. chest — of your body
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. lean — thin
  6. bank — for money
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a music group
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stand — to bear
  11. current — happening now
  12. band — a ring
  13. bank — for money
  14. foot — a measure
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — to bend
  19. current — of water
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. current — electric
  24. chest — a box

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