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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. can — to be able to
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. stock — shares
  6. spring — of water
  7. stock — goods
  8. file — a document
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. file — a tool
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. band — a music group
  13. spring — the season
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. band — a ring
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bass — low music
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. bass — the fish
  24. spring — a coil

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