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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a ring
  3. firm — decided
  4. face — to confront
  5. stock — shares
  6. bank — for money
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. stock — goods
  9. land — ground
  10. face — to point toward
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. firm — a company
  14. wound — an injury
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. land — a country
  17. bank — of a river
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. firm — steady
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bank — for money
  23. wound — an injury
  24. land — to come down

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