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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: club · bark · band · foot · wave · bass · chip · stem

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bark — to shout
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — for golf
  7. band — a music group
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. band — a ring
  15. bass — the fish
  16. club — a group
  17. bass — low music
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. chip — to eat
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — a measure
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. chip — for betting

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