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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: kid · board · season · bank · stem · bass · last · pop

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bank — of a river
  3. board — a committee
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bank — for money
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. last — final
  10. season — of the year
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bank — for money
  15. kid — to tease
  16. pop — soda
  17. kid — child
  18. bass — the fish
  19. last — to go on
  20. season — in sport
  21. last — finally
  22. bass — low music
  23. pop — music
  24. board — to get on

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