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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: wound · stem · land · kick · bowl · perch · bank · wind

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. 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. stem — a stem cell
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bank — for money
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. wind — moving air
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. perch — the fish
  12. kick — in football
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. land — ground
  18. wound — an injury
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. bank — for money
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. 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