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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: band · shower · lean · wave · stem · stand · pop · field

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. lean — to bend
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stem — to come from
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. field — a subject
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. shower — rain
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. band — a ring
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. pop — soda
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. shower — to wash
  17. field — farmland
  18. lean — thin
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. pop — music
  22. stand — to bear
  23. band — a music group
  24. field — for sport

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