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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: stem · chest · stock · hand · stand · field · can · bank

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  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. stand — on your feet
  2. bank — of a river
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. can — to be able to
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. field — farmland
  10. hand — help
  11. field — for sport
  12. bank — for money
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. stock — goods
  17. chest — of your body
  18. field — a subject
  19. stock — shares
  20. can — a tin
  21. stand — to bear
  22. chest — a box
  23. can — a tin
  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