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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: mark · bank · rush · board · stem · bat · pitcher · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. mark — a grade
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. cold — not warm
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bank — of a river
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. mark — a trace
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bank — for money
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cold — an illness
  18. board — a committee
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. bank — for money
  23. bat — the animal
  24. pitcher — a jug

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