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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.

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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 · bank · cap · band · stem · tube · field · last

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bank — for money
  4. last — final
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. cap — a lid
  9. field — a subject
  10. tube — a container
  11. bank — for money
  12. stem — to come from
  13. last — finally
  14. band — a music group
  15. rush — hurry
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. last — to go on
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bank — of a river
  22. tube — the underground
  23. cap — a hat
  24. band — a ring

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