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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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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: bound · racket · stem · wake · band · cell · fall · bank

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bound — obliged
  5. fall — to drop
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. cell — in biology
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bound — certain
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. band — a ring
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — of a river
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bank — for money
  21. stem — to come from
  22. fall — the season
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a rubber band

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