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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: nail · land · press · date · arm · track · stem · bank

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. stem — to come from
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. land — to come down
  7. track — to keep track
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. land — a country
  10. track — a path
  11. land — ground
  12. bank — for money
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. date — the fruit
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — to push
  20. track — a song
  21. press — a publisher
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bank — of a river

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