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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: band · pitcher · tear · pass · bank · stem · spring · hand

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. tear — from crying
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bank — for money
  5. spring — of water
  6. tear — from crying
  7. band — a ring
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. bank — of a river
  13. band — a music group
  14. tear — to rip
  15. spring — the season
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pass — a permit
  22. bank — for money
  23. hand — help
  24. 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