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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: stem · club · field · pound · bank · date

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. field — a subject
  3. stem — to come from
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bank — for money
  8. club — for dancing
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pound — a weight
  11. date — the fruit
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for golf
  16. bank — for money
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. stem — of a plant

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