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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: swing · bank · cabinet · tear · current · stem · land · row

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. current — electric
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. bank — for money
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. tear — from crying
  9. land — a country
  10. swing — in golf
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. swing — music
  14. bank — of a river
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. swing — to play on
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bank — for money
  20. current — happening now
  21. stem — to come from
  22. tear — to rip
  23. row — a line
  24. current — of water

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