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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: fork · bank · cabinet · arm · stem · pitcher · pound · march

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bank — for money
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. march — the month
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stem — to come from
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. march — music
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fork — in a road
  18. pound — a weight
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. march — the month
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. stem — of a plant

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