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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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468
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: content · bat · stand · pitch · bank · mine · ball · stem

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — happy
  3. bank — for money
  4. bat — the animal
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. stem — to come from
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. pitch — completely
  9. mine — for digging
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bank — for money
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bank — of a river
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. ball — a great time
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. ball — a dance
  24. stand — on your feet

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