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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bore — to drill
  5. press — newspapers
  6. stock — goods
  7. band — a ring
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. stock — shares
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bark — to shout
  12. date — the fruit
  13. scale — in music
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. game — a match
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. press — to push
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. scale — size or range
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. game — wild animals

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