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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. band — a ring
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stock — shares
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. board — a committee
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. board — to get on
  11. prune — to trim
  12. face — to point toward
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pop — to visit
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. prune — to trim
  19. band — a music group
  20. stock — goods
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — part of the head
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — soda

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