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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: band · craft · stem · bark · rock · board · wax · rule

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  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 — a stem cell
  2. board — to get on
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. rock — music
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. craft — boats
  7. board — a committee
  8. wax — to grow
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bark — to shout
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — government
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. band — a ring
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. band — a music group
  23. stem — to come from
  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