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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.

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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: march · stem · toast · band · deal · root · cap · track

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. track — a song
  6. track — a path
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. root — of a word
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. march — the month
  11. cap — a hat
  12. track — to keep track
  13. deal — to handle
  14. band — a ring
  15. cap — a lid
  16. root — of a plant
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. root — the cause
  20. toast — bread
  21. march — music
  22. stem — to come from
  23. cap — of ice
  24. march — the month

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