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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: band · spell · cell · stem · safe · fan · deal · content

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. band — a music group
  4. spell — magic
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. deal — to handle
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. stem — to come from
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cell — a phone
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. content — the amount
  16. spell — letters
  17. content — happy
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cell — in biology
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. spell — a short time
  24. content — videos and posts

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