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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: deal · season · band · stand · lash · spell · land · stem

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stand — to bear
  5. deal — to handle
  6. band — a ring
  7. land — to come down
  8. spell — a short time
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. land — ground
  11. season — of the year
  12. land — a country
  13. spell — letters
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. spell — magic
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. season — in sport
  24. stem — a stem cell

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