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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 116 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: stem · content · rash · band · bore · cabinet · field · deal

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bore — to tire
  4. band — a music group
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. bore — to drill
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. field — for sport
  12. content — happy
  13. rash — a series
  14. deal — to handle
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. band — a ring
  24. content — the amount

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