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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
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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: stem · toast · mark · band · mine · drill · file · wax

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. drill — army training
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. toast — bread
  7. mark — a trace
  8. wax — to grow
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. mark — a grade
  11. band — a ring
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. file — a line of people
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. stem — to come from
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. file — a tool
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. band — a music group
  21. file — a document
  22. drill — the tool
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. drill — a practice

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