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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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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: last · stand · stem · bank · present · field · cue · racket

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  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. present — a gift
  2. bank — of a river
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. last — final
  5. last — to go on
  6. field — for sport
  7. cue — for pool
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. field — a subject
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stand — to bear
  12. present — the time now
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — to come from
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. last — finally
  18. present — there
  19. cue — a signal
  20. bank — for money
  21. cue — a hint
  22. field — farmland
  23. racket — for tennis
  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