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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. chest — of your body
  3. band — a music group
  4. face — to confront
  5. band — a ring
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. face — part of the head
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. toast — bread
  10. stock — goods
  11. bass — low music
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. face — to point toward
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. spring — a coil
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. stock — shares
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. spring — of water

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