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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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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: stem · bank · club · bat · key · spring · last · board

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. last — final
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. spring — of water
  6. bank — of a river
  7. spring — the season
  8. stem — to come from
  9. key — for a lock
  10. club — for golf
  11. bat — the animal
  12. key — the most important part
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. club — a group
  15. spring — a coil
  16. key — in music
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bank — for money
  19. last — to go on
  20. club — for dancing
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. board — a committee
  23. board — to get on
  24. last — finally

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