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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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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 · stem · wake · object · mug · board · season · pop

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. object — a thing
  3. mug — a cup
  4. pop — to visit
  5. band — a ring
  6. object — to protest
  7. season — in sport
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — to come from
  10. band — a music group
  11. season — of the year
  12. board — to get on
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. pop — soda
  15. mug — a face
  16. board — a committee
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. wake — a trail
  19. mug — to rob
  20. object — an aim
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. pop — music

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