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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bear · vault · pitcher · stem · file · ground · fan

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. ground — the earth
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. file — a tool
  10. ground — a position
  11. file — a document
  12. band — a music group
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bear — the animal
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. bear — the animal
  21. band — a ring
  22. file — a line of people
  23. ground — crushed
  24. stem — to come from

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