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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 120 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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. cap — of ice
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. stem — to come from
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. mate — a friend
  14. band — a ring
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. mate — to breed
  20. band — a music group
  21. mate — a partner
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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