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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: stem · rash · band · last · rule · ball · pitch · leaves

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. ball — a dance
  5. last — finally
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. rash — a series
  8. band — a ring
  9. rule — government
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. band — a music group
  13. last — to go on
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. ball — a great time
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rash — hasty
  19. last — final
  20. pitch — completely
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. stem — to come from

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