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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: trunk · hand · net · cold · cap · bank · stem · bulb

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. cap — of ice
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. net — in sport
  10. stem — to come from
  11. net — after costs
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bank — for money
  14. net — for catching
  15. cold — not warm
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bank — of a river
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cap — a hat
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bulb — for light
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bank — for money
  24. cap — a lid

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