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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: cold · band · bay · tear · staff · stem

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. tear — to rip
  4. staff — a stick
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stem — to come from
  7. staff — employees
  8. band — a music group
  9. cold — not warm
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. tear — from crying
  15. band — a ring
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. staff — employees

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