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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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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: march · deal · can · stem · kid · lie · band · sharp

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. march — music
  5. can — a tin
  6. band — a ring
  7. stem — to come from
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. march — the month
  10. kid — to tease
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. kid — child
  14. can — to be able to
  15. march — the month
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. deal — to handle
  18. band — a music group
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. can — a tin
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — exactly

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