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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: bowl · chip · mug · cold · chest · band · stem · stand

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a cup
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. cold — not warm
  9. chest — a box
  10. band — a music group
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. cold — an illness
  13. mug — a face
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. chip — for betting
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. chip — to eat
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. chest — of your body
  20. stand — to bear
  21. chest — of your body
  22. band — a ring
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stand — for spectators

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