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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stem · lean · foot · band · leaves · fine · mate · squash

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. fine — high quality
  4. foot — a measure
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the sport
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. lean — to bend
  9. mate — to breed
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. mate — a friend
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. stem — to come from
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. band — a ring
  22. fine — all right
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. band — a music group

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