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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · suit · tube · stem · rash · bank · cold · chest

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. stem — to come from
  4. suit — to fit
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bank — of a river
  7. cold — not warm
  8. chest — a box
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. suit — clothes
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. tube — a container
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. suit — in cards
  18. bank — for money
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — a series
  21. bank — for money
  22. tube — the underground
  23. cold — an illness
  24. stem — a stem cell

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