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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: bank · bound · prune · stem · shower · capital · hand · rush

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bank — for money
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bank — for money
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — help
  7. shower — rain
  8. stem — to come from
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bound — certain
  12. hand — in cards
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bank — of a river
  18. capital — money
  19. bound — obliged
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bound — tied together
  23. prune — to trim
  24. capital — a city

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