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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: stem · clip · ground · firm · mine · bank · can · kid

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  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. stem — a stem cell
  2. can — to be able to
  3. firm — a company
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. firm — steady
  6. mine — for digging
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bank — for money
  9. ground — a position
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — child
  13. can — a tin
  14. clip — for paper
  15. firm — decided
  16. clip — a video
  17. can — a tin
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bank — for money
  20. ground — the earth
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. clip — to cut
  23. stem — to come from
  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