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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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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: stem · mouse · club · hand · fine · racket · land · band

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. club — a group
  3. stem — to come from
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — all right
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. land — ground
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. club — for golf
  13. fine — high quality
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. hand — in cards
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. band — a music group
  18. hand — help
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. club — for dancing
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — a country

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