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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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Word bank
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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: file · stem · foot · pit · band · spell

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. pit — a hole
  4. file — a line of people
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. file — a document
  7. spell — letters
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — to come from
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. spell — a short time
  12. file — a tool
  13. band — a ring
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. pit — in a race
  16. foot — a measure
  17. spell — magic
  18. pit — a fruit stone

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