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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.

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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: track · ball · club · stem · sharp · band · row · nail

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. track — a path
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. track — a song
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. band — a music group
  7. ball — a dance
  8. track — to keep track
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. row — a line
  11. band — a ring
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. stem — to come from
  14. club — for dancing
  15. club — a group
  16. sharp — clever
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. row — to paddle
  21. ball — a great time
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. club — for golf

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