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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: drill · wave · stem · date · hand · band · content · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. scale — for weighing
  2. stem — to come from
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. drill — a practice
  5. band — a ring
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. scale — size or range
  8. drill — the tool
  9. scale — in music
  10. date — the fruit
  11. band — a music group
  12. drill — army training
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. hand — help
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. hand — in cards
  22. content — happy
  23. content — the amount
  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