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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: kick · bank · pound · coach · stem · band

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. pound — a weight
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bank — for money
  5. kick — in football
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bank — for money
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a ring
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. bank — of a river
  18. stem — to come from

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