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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: ruler · band · bear · cap · row · stem · foot · clip

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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. band — a rubber band
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. cap — a lid
  4. foot — a measure
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. band — a ring
  7. clip — a video
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. clip — for paper
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. cap — of ice
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. band — a music group
  17. row — to paddle
  18. stem — to come from
  19. row — a line
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cap — a hat
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bear — the animal
  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