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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: bay · cabinet · mate · wave · stem · row · band · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. row — to paddle
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. band — a ring
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. row — a line
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. stem — to come from
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a friend
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. band — a music group
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. rush — to hurry

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