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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 116 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
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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: mate · can · band · pop · wound · straw · stem · kick

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. kick — in football
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. mate — to breed
  6. can — to be able to
  7. pop — music
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. wound — an injury
  10. can — a tin
  11. band — a ring
  12. mate — a friend
  13. band — a music group
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. pop — soda
  16. mate — a partner
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. can — a tin
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — to come from
  23. pop — to visit
  24. wound — an injury

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