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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 116 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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. court — of law
  3. bass — the fish
  4. row — to paddle
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. row — a line
  8. ball — a dance
  9. band — a ring
  10. ball — a great time
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pound — a weight
  15. stock — goods
  16. band — a music group
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. court — of a king
  19. stock — shares
  20. court — for sport
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. bass — low music

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