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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. stock — goods
  3. prune — to trim
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. stock — shares
  6. press — newspapers
  7. squash — to crush
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. press — a publisher
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. press — to push
  15. band — a ring
  16. squash — the sport
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. band — a rubber band

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