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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: roll · band · wound · stem · deal · pitch · rule · shower

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. shower — rain
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. band — a ring
  12. pitch — completely
  13. deal — to handle
  14. rule — a law
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — a list
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wound — an injury
  21. band — a music group
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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