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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: pop · stem · mark · field · bank · bound · bat · deal

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bound — obliged
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bound — tied together
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. pop — music
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. field — for sport
  10. pop — to visit
  11. mark — a trace
  12. field — farmland
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bank — for money
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bank — of a river
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. field — a subject
  19. bank — for money
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bound — certain
  22. stem — to come from
  23. pop — soda
  24. mark — a grade

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