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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 120 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: cold · ruler · bat · bank · field · press · last · stem

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. last — to go on
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. field — a subject
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. press — newspapers
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bat — the animal
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. field — for sport
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. press — to push
  18. bank — for money
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. field — farmland
  21. last — finally
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. cold — an illness
  24. last — final

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