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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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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: bulb · pass · mark · stem · band · spell · saw · last

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bulb — for light
  3. band — a music group
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. spell — letters
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bulb — for light
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. last — final
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — a grade
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. stem — to come from
  24. pass — to spend time

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