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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: mark · cap · wake · foot · hand · stem · can · band

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. hand — in cards
  3. cap — a hat
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. band — a ring
  6. can — to be able to
  7. band — a music group
  8. mark — a trace
  9. can — a tin
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. can — a tin
  13. hand — help
  14. wake — a trail
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cap — a lid
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. cap — of ice
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — a measure
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. band — a rubber band

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