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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 · cue · stem · row · patient · nail · bat · ball

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. row — to paddle
  3. band — a ring
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. cue — a hint
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bat — the animal
  14. cue — a signal
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. ball — a dance
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. row — a line
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. stem — to come from

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