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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 120 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: fall · band · wake · stem · current · scale · lean · coach

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. lean — thin
  4. band — a music group
  5. scale — in music
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. current — happening now
  8. band — a ring
  9. lean — to bend
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. fall — to drop
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. current — of water
  16. stem — to come from
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. fall — to drop
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. fall — the season
  22. scale — size or range
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. current — electric

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