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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. club — for golf
  4. track — to keep track
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — tied together
  9. club — a group
  10. track — a path
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. band — a music group
  13. track — a song
  14. bound — obliged
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. club — for dancing
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — shares

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