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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 116 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: band · mine · suit · bear · present · current · content · stem

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. suit — in cards
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. mine — for digging
  5. present — there
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. band — a ring
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. current — electric
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. band — a music group
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bear — the animal
  14. suit — to fit
  15. content — happy
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. current — of water
  19. stem — to come from
  20. present — a gift
  21. content — the amount
  22. present — the time now
  23. current — happening now
  24. bear — the animal

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