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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: stem · mate · rash · jam · file · ruler · band · shower

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. mate — to breed
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. band — a music group
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. mate — a friend
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — rain
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. mate — a partner
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a tool
  17. rash — hasty
  18. stem — to come from
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. rash — a series
  21. band — a ring
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. file — a document
  24. ruler — for measuring

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