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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. cue — a signal
  4. file — a tool
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. can — a tin
  7. field — a subject
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. cue — for pool
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. file — a line of people
  12. can — to be able to
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. can — a tin
  15. field — farmland
  16. file — a document
  17. field — for sport
  18. cue — a hint
  19. band — a ring
  20. object — to protest
  21. stem — to come from
  22. object — an aim
  23. object — a thing
  24. nail — for a hammer

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