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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. tube — the underground
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. chip — to eat
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. tube — a container
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. stem — to come from
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stock — goods
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — after costs
  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