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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: snap · ball · pass · stem · arm · bear · bank · cold

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. ball — a great time
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bear — the animal
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. cold — an illness
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bank — of a river
  10. stem — to come from
  11. snap — to click
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bank — for money
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bank — for money
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pass — to spend time

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