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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. perch — the fish
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. face — part of the head
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stock — shares
  10. prune — to trim
  11. stock — goods
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. band — a ring
  17. branch — a division
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. prune — to trim
  21. band — a music group
  22. face — to confront
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. coach — a trainer

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