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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: charge · band · wind · bank · stem · degree

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. band — a music group
  3. charge — in control
  4. degree — an amount
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bank — for money
  7. wind — moving air
  8. degree — from a university
  9. wind — moving air
  10. band — a ring
  11. charge — electricity
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bank — for money
  15. degree — temperature
  16. charge — a price
  17. bank — of a river
  18. stem — a stem cell

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