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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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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 · wave · scale · rest · stem · race · roll · sharp

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. band — a music group
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. race — the arms race
  6. stem — to come from
  7. rest — what's left
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — a cake
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. band — a ring
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — humankind
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rest — a break
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. sharp — clever

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