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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. stock — goods
  3. mate — a friend
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. stem — to come from
  6. perch — the fish
  7. land — ground
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. mate — a partner
  10. band — a ring
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. bulb — for light
  17. band — a music group
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bulb — for light
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. chair — a leader
  24. perch — for a bird

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