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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. degree — from a university
  6. lean — to bend
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. degree — an amount
  10. lean — thin
  11. cap — of ice
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — shares
  14. cap — a lid
  15. band — a music group
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. band — a ring
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. rush — hurry

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