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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: hand · ruler · cap · mine · face · trunk · band · stem

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. band — a ring
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. stem — to come from
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. hand — help
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. cap — a hat
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. face — to confront
  13. band — a music group
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mine — for digging
  16. cap — of ice
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. face — to point toward
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. hand — in cards
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. hand — part of the body

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