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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 · stem · ruler · arm · pop · file · mouse · fall

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. pop — soda
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. stem — to come from
  5. band — a music group
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pop — music
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. fall — to drop
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. file — a line of people
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. file — a document
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. fall — to drop
  20. band — a ring
  21. file — a tool
  22. fall — the season
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. pop — to visit

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