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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: stem · scale · leaves · band · spell · hand · game · safe

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. spell — magic
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. scale — in music
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. game — a match
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. stem — to come from
  12. game — wild animals
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. hand — in cards
  17. scale — size or range
  18. hand — help
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. leaves — to go away

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