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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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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: band · stem · rule · track · snap · wind · patient · mark

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. snap — to click
  3. wind — moving air
  4. track — a path
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rule — government
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. track — a song
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wind — moving air
  11. band — a ring
  12. stem — to come from
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. track — to keep track
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. mark — a grade
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. rule — a law
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. band — a music group
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. rule — to rule out

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