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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: stem · can · prune · band · leaves · rule · jam · cold

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. rule — government
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. can — a tin
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. can — to be able to
  14. stem — to come from
  15. cold — an illness
  16. can — a tin
  17. prune — to trim
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. rule — a law
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. cold — not warm
  24. stem — a stem cell

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