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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: bear · lean · court · stem · band · rash · leaves · mark

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — of law
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. court — for sport
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. band — a ring
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. mark — a grade
  12. stem — to come from
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bear — the animal
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. lean — to bend
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. rash — a series
  23. band — a music group
  24. bear — the animal

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