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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. board — a committee
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. band — a ring
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. stem — to come from
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. cell — a phone
  10. dip — to sink
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pass — a permit
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. mine — for digging
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. board — to get on
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. mine — belonging to me

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