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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  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. band — a rubber band
  2. face — part of the head
  3. stock — goods
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. firm — steady
  7. band — a ring
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. perch — the fish
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. firm — decided
  14. face — to point toward
  15. stock — shares
  16. wound — an injury
  17. band — a music group
  18. face — to confront
  19. firm — a company
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fan — a supporter
  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