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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: band · wake · branch · last · stem · ruler · cap · jam

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. band — a ring
  5. last — to go on
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. band — a music group
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. cap — of ice
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. stem — to come from
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. branch — a division
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. cap — a lid
  18. last — finally
  19. wake — a trail
  20. last — final
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. wake — before a funeral

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