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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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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: patient · bank · row · racket · stem · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bank — for money
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bank — of a river
  8. row — a line
  9. bank — for money
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle

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