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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: ground · stem · bank · prune · bat · mouse · wake · fan

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bank — for money
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bank — for money
  13. ground — crushed
  14. stem — to come from
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ground — a position
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bat — the animal
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. ground — the earth
  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