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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: hand · squash · stem · club · rush · content · bank · bowl

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. rush — hurry
  3. club — for golf
  4. bank — for money
  5. club — a group
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bank — for money
  15. club — for dancing
  16. squash — the sport
  17. hand — help
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — happy
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bank — of a river
  23. rush — a thrill
  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