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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — a group
  3. band — a music group
  4. stem — to come from
  5. file — a tool
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. band — a ring
  9. land — to come down
  10. file — a document
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — government
  14. land — a country
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. land — ground
  17. club — for golf
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. firm — steady
  20. file — a line of people
  21. firm — a company
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. firm — decided

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