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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: band · firm · ruler · stem · wind · last

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. stem — to come from
  4. firm — a company
  5. last — to go on
  6. firm — decided
  7. firm — steady
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. wind — moving air
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. last — final
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. wind — moving air
  16. last — finally
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. band — a ring

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