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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: band · wind · drill · stem · hand · toast · date · wake

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. drill — a practice
  5. band — a music group
  6. stem — to come from
  7. band — a ring
  8. drill — the tool
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wind — moving air
  13. drill — army training
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. toast — bread
  17. date — the fruit
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. hand — help
  21. wake — a trail
  22. hand — in cards
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. toast — the most admired

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