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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: stem · bank · pitcher · perch · land · arm · ball · tube

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  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. stem — a stem cell
  2. bank — for money
  3. land — to come down
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. tube — a container
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bank — for money
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. land — ground
  14. stem — to come from
  15. land — a country
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. tube — the underground
  18. perch — the fish
  19. ball — a dance
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bank — of a river
  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