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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — to wash
  4. stock — shares
  5. spring — the season
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. spring — of water
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bear — the animal
  14. band — a ring
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. board — a committee
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. spring — a coil
  19. stock — goods
  20. bear — the animal
  21. board — to get on
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bear — to put up with

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