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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.

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: object · season · game · stem · perch · bank · hand · ruler

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. stem — to come from
  2. season — of the year
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. object — an aim
  6. bank — for money
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bank — for money
  11. object — a thing
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. hand — in cards
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. object — to protest
  17. game — a match
  18. bank — of a river
  19. hand — help
  20. game — wild animals
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  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