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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 116 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: game · stem · staff · club · trunk · bat · rush · bank

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. club — for golf
  6. bat — the animal
  7. game — a match
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bank — for money
  10. staff — employees
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. club — for dancing
  13. rush — hurry
  14. game — wild animals
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. staff — employees
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. staff — a stick
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. club — a group
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bank — for money
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. stem — to come from

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