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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 · stem · bat · can · cabinet · last · pitcher · bulb

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. can — a tin
  5. bat — the animal
  6. last — to go on
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — to come from
  13. can — a tin
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bulb — for light
  16. band — a ring
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. can — to be able to
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bulb — for light
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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