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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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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: present · stick · suit · bore · stem · cell · wake · band

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. cell — a phone
  3. band — a ring
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. suit — in cards
  11. present — there
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. suit — to fit
  16. stem — to come from
  17. suit — clothes
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. present — the time now
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. present — a gift
  22. bore — to drill
  23. cell — in biology
  24. band — a music group

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