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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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468
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: content · fan · rock · stem · band · bark · cell · date

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. stem — to come from
  5. content — happy
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a music group
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. content — the amount
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bark — to shout
  17. date — the fruit
  18. cell — in biology
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rock — a stone
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. rock — music
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fan — a supporter

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