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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: fall · net · kid · cabinet · board · bank · stem · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bank — for money
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. fall — the season
  5. bank — of a river
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. net — in sport
  10. board — a committee
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. net — after costs
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. bank — for money
  19. fall — to drop
  20. kid — to tease
  21. fall — to drop
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. net — for catching

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