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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.

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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: pitch · stem · prune · bank · race · bass · board · firm

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bank — for money
  4. firm — steady
  5. stem — to come from
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bass — low music
  8. firm — a company
  9. pitch — completely
  10. race — humankind
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bass — the fish
  14. board — a committee
  15. firm — decided
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. bank — for money
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. race — a contest
  21. bank — of a river
  22. board — to get on
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. race — the arms race

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