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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 120 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: bat · band · cabinet · spring · stem · cell · bass · fine

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. spring — of water
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. fine — high quality
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. spring — a coil
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. fine — all right
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bass — the fish
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bass — low music
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. spring — the season
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. band — a music group

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