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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: swing · land · bank · bat · stem · bay · pop · dip

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bank — for money
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. pop — music
  6. land — a country
  7. swing — music
  8. land — to come down
  9. pop — soda
  10. swing — in golf
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bat — the animal
  16. swing — to play on
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. bank — of a river
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. land — ground
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bank — for money
  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