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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · band · patient · rash · wind · bat · scale · bark

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. rash — a series
  5. bat — the animal
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wind — moving air
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. scale — in music
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wind — moving air
  14. band — a ring
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bark — to shout
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. band — a music group
  24. wind — to turn a key

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