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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: cabinet · rash · scale · tear · stem · date · band · mug

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. mug — to rob
  3. band — a ring
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rash — hasty
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. band — a music group
  13. scale — size or range
  14. tear — from crying
  15. date — the fruit
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. mug — a cup
  19. scale — in music
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rash — a series
  22. stem — to come from
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. mug — a face

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