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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. chest — a box
  3. stock — goods
  4. cap — a lid
  5. band — a music group
  6. cue — a signal
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. stock — shares
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bore — to tire
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bore — to drill
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. cap — a hat
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cue — a hint

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