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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: hand · stem · bass · wave · straw · bay · band · shower

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. band — a music group
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. band — a ring
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — help
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bass — the fish
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. bass — low music
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — to wash
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. straw — dry grass

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