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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: arm · clip · mate · bank · game · stem · key · chest

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mate — a partner
  4. chest — of your body
  5. game — wild animals
  6. clip — for paper
  7. game — a match
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. chest — a box
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mate — a friend
  15. key — in music
  16. clip — a video
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. key — the most important part
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. key — for a lock
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bank — for money
  24. mate — to breed

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