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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: rush · toast · object · leaves · stem · band · hand · stand

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — a thing
  4. toast — bread
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stem — to come from
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. rush — hurry
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. hand — help
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. band — a music group
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. object — to protest

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