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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. field — a subject
  3. file — a tool
  4. field — farmland
  5. band — a music group
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. stock — goods
  8. field — for sport
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. fork — in a road
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. bank — for money
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a document
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bank — for money
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bank — of a river
  22. band — a ring
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. stock — shares

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