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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 120 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: cap · row · content · band · saw · leaves · mate · stem

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. row — to paddle
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. row — a line
  5. band — a ring
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. band — a music group
  8. cap — a hat
  9. content — happy
  10. stem — to come from
  11. mate — a partner
  12. cap — a lid
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. mate — a friend
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. saw — the tool
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. saw — the tool
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. mate — to breed
  21. cap — of ice
  22. content — the amount
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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