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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 120 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: stem · pop · cell · lash · cap · trunk · wave · band

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. pop — to visit
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. pop — music
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. cap — a hat
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. band — a ring
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cap — of ice
  18. band — a music group
  19. cap — a lid
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. pop — soda
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. cell — a phone
  24. lash — an eyelash

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