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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: stick · land · bark · calf · tube · rush · band · stem

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bark — to shout
  4. land — to come down
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. band — a music group
  10. tube — the underground
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. tube — a container
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. rush — hurry
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. land — ground
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. land — a country
  24. calf — a young animal

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