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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: mouse · arm · bank · scale · stem · kid · shower · band

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. scale — size or range
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. band — a ring
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. scale — in music
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. bank — for money
  13. kid — to tease
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. kid — child
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. stem — to come from
  20. shower — rain
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. band — a music group
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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