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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
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: band · stem · fine · bank · pitch · mine · staff · court

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  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. staff — a stick
  2. band — a music group
  3. court — for sport
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. stem — to come from
  6. court — of law
  7. pitch — completely
  8. mine — for digging
  9. court — of a king
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bank — of a river
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bank — for money
  17. fine — all right
  18. staff — employees
  19. bank — for money
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. staff — employees
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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