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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: hand · rush · scale · season · stem · root · stand · band

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. hand — in cards
  4. rush — hurry
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. stand — to bear
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. stem — to come from
  10. band — a ring
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. scale — in music
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. scale — size or range
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. hand — help
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. band — a music group
  24. root — of a word

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