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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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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 · stem · current · fan · arm · last · wake · bear

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bear — the animal
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. last — final
  6. band — a music group
  7. last — to go on
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — electric
  13. wake — a trail
  14. band — a ring
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. last — finally
  19. current — of water
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. stem — to come from
  24. fan — a supporter

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