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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: fan · band · stem · trunk · lash · bank · fine · content

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. fine — high quality
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bank — for money
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bank — for money
  13. band — a music group
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. content — happy
  16. content — the amount
  17. stem — to come from
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. band — a ring
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. trunk — of a tree

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