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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: rash · stem · stand · mine · clip · roll · jam · rush

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. clip — a video
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — hurry
  17. stand — to bear
  18. roll — a list
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. clip — to cut
  21. roll — a cake
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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