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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: stem · saw · board · shower · band · wave · fall · lie

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. fall — the season
  4. band — a ring
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. shower — to wash
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. stem — to come from
  15. lie — to recline
  16. fall — to drop
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a committee
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. saw — the tool
  23. band — a music group
  24. shower — rain

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