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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — shares
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rule — a law
  9. stem — to come from
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. rule — government
  20. band — a ring
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. band — a music group
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bowl — to roll

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