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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: band · wound · stem · coach · mark · mouse · can · land

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. can — a tin
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. land — to come down
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. mark — a trace
  9. can — a tin
  10. mark — a grade
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. land — ground
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. land — a country
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. band — a music group
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. band — a ring
  24. can — to be able to

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