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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 · pitcher · band · present · fine · wake · stem · safe

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. present — a gift
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. march — the month
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. present — there
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stem — to come from
  13. fine — all right
  14. wake — a trail
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. band — a music group
  18. present — the time now
  19. band — a ring
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. fine — high quality

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