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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: club · staff · lash · rule · bass · stem · ruler · band

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. rule — government
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. bass — low music
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. club — for dancing
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. staff — a stick
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. club — for golf
  14. stem — to come from
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bass — the fish
  18. staff — employees
  19. club — a group
  20. band — a ring
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. staff — employees
  24. rule — a law

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