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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: wind · stem · season · bank · bat · charge · cue · jam

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. season — in sport
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. charge — in control
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bat — the animal
  9. stem — to come from
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bank — for money
  12. cue — a hint
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. cue — for pool
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. charge — electricity
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. wind — moving air
  20. charge — a price
  21. cue — a signal
  22. season — of the year
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bank — for money

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