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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: mug · stem · bound · drill · band · trunk · march · fan

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bound — certain
  3. drill — army training
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. mug — a cup
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bound — tied together
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. mug — a face
  11. drill — a practice
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bound — obliged
  14. band — a ring
  15. march — music
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. drill — the tool
  18. march — the month
  19. mug — to rob
  20. march — the month
  21. stem — to come from
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. band — a music group
  24. stem — of a plant

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