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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stand — to bear
  4. wind — moving air
  5. ball — a great time
  6. rock — music
  7. cell — in biology
  8. ball — a dance
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. craft — a skill
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. stock — goods
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. rock — a stone
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. craft — boats
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. stock — shares
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. band — a music group
  23. cell — a phone
  24. wind — moving air

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