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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: band · stand · bear · file · mark · bat · stick · mate

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. bear — the animal
  5. band — a music group
  6. mate — a partner
  7. band — a ring
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. file — a document
  10. mark — a trace
  11. stand — to bear
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. file — a tool
  15. bear — the animal
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. file — a line of people
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bat — 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