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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. spell — magic
  3. mark — a grade
  4. band — a music group
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. rest — a break
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. rest — what's left
  9. spell — letters
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a trace
  12. band — a ring
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stem — to come from
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. spell — a short time

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