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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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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: band · coach · fan · craft · stem · last · object · game

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. band — a ring
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. last — to go on
  5. stem — to come from
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. object — to protest
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. band — a music group
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. last — finally
  15. object — a thing
  16. craft — a skill
  17. game — a match
  18. object — an aim
  19. craft — boats
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. last — final
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. game — wild animals

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