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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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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: coach · land · bat · pop · rock · hand · bank · stem

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stem — to come from
  3. rock — a stone
  4. pop — music
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. land — ground
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bank — for money
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. land — to come down
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. land — a country
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — help
  20. pop — to visit
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — the animal
  24. stem — of a plant

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