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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: pop · fork · stem · dip · band · rash · nail · file

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stem — to come from
  3. file — a document
  4. band — a ring
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. file — a tool
  7. band — a music group
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pop — to visit
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. pop — music
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. fork — in a road
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rash — hasty
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. file — a line of people
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  24. dip — to sink

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