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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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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: bank · wound · stem · stick · mate · kick · mine · pound

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mine — for digging
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bank — for money
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. pound — a weight
  12. mate — a partner
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bank — of a river
  15. mate — to breed
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bank — for money
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. wound — an injury
  22. kick — in football
  23. mine — belonging to me
  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