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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: ball · staff · coach · stem · season · bank · hand · calf

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bank — of a river
  5. season — in sport
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. hand — help
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. staff — employees
  16. bank — for money
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. season — of the year
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bank — for money
  21. staff — a stick
  22. ball — a dance
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. staff — employees

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