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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · stand · band · dip · saw · vault · field · game

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. dip — to sink
  4. band — a ring
  5. field — farmland
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. field — a subject
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. game — a match
  16. field — for sport
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. band — a music group
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stand — to bear
  23. game — wild animals
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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