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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: bank · rest · present · stem · bat · chest

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — a gift
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bank — for money
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. present — there
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bank — for money
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rest — a break
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. rest — what's left
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bank — of a river

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