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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 · row · rule · wave · band · land · rash · cabinet

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. row — a line
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rule — government
  7. rule — a law
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. band — a music group
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. rash — a series
  13. land — to come down
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. stem — to come from
  17. land — ground
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. land — a country
  20. rash — hasty
  21. row — to paddle
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. cabinet — ministers

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