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

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. club — for golf
  4. stand — to bear
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a ring
  7. club — a group
  8. object — a thing
  9. root — the cause
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. object — to protest
  12. stem — to come from
  13. root — of a plant
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. object — an aim
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. root — of a word
  21. hand — in cards
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. club — for dancing
  24. trunk — of a tree

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