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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: suit · hand · kid · stem · season · row · field · bank

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. season — of the year
  4. hand — help
  5. bank — of a river
  6. kid — to tease
  7. field — a subject
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. suit — to fit
  10. field — farmland
  11. kid — child
  12. row — to paddle
  13. stem — to come from
  14. suit — in cards
  15. season — in sport
  16. row — a line
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bank — for money
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. suit — clothes
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. hand — in cards
  23. field — for sport
  24. bank — for money

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