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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bear — the animal
  3. mine — for digging
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. swing — to play on
  8. object — a thing
  9. board — to get on
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. swing — in golf
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. object — to protest
  17. band — a music group
  18. board — a committee
  19. object — an aim
  20. band — a ring
  21. lean — to bend
  22. swing — music
  23. lean — thin
  24. stem — a stem cell

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