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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. perch — the fish
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. band — a ring
  12. stand — to bear
  13. branch — a division
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. stem — to come from
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. band — a music group
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. rock — a stone

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