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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: stem · tear · key · band · racket · patient

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. tear — from crying
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. key — the most important part
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. key — in music
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. band — a music group
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. key — for a lock
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. band — a ring
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. tear — from crying
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. stem — to come from

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