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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: snap · bark · stem · cell · court · ground · band · mate

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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. band — a ring
  4. stem — to come from
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. cell — in biology
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. court — of a king
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. ground — a position
  14. bark — to shout
  15. snap — to click
  16. ground — crushed
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — to breed
  19. cell — a phone
  20. band — a music group
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. court — for sport
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. court — of law

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