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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. stock — shares
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. pop — to visit
  8. press — newspapers
  9. band — a ring
  10. press — to push
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. pop — soda
  15. stock — goods
  16. press — a publisher
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. pop — music
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. band — a music group
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bowl — a football final

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