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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: snap · pop · mine · mark · band · staff · stem · mug

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a ring
  3. mine — for digging
  4. staff — employees
  5. pop — to visit
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. mug — to rob
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mug — a cup
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. snap — to click
  16. pop — soda
  17. mug — a face
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. pop — music
  20. staff — a stick
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. stem — to come from
  23. mark — a trace
  24. staff — employees

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