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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. rock — music
  3. file — a document
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. wind — moving air
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cell — a phone
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. suit — clothes
  14. file — a tool
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. file — a line of people
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. cell — in biology
  19. wind — moving air
  20. suit — to fit
  21. band — a ring
  22. rock — a stone
  23. suit — in cards
  24. stem — to come from

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