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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: stem · sharp · mug · file · mine · squash · band · fine

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. squash — to crush
  3. mug — a face
  4. file — a tool
  5. band — a ring
  6. mug — a cup
  7. stem — to come from
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. mug — to rob
  10. sharp — clever
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. fine — high quality
  14. mine — for digging
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. file — a document
  21. squash — the sport
  22. band — a music group
  23. file — a line of people
  24. fine — all right

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