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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. perch — the fish
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a music group
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. squash — the sport
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. can — to be able to
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. can — a tin
  12. squash — to crush
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. can — a tin
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — goods
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. scale — in music
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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