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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 120 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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. deal — to handle
  3. mate — to breed
  4. stock — goods
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. firm — a company
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. mate — a partner
  13. stock — shares
  14. craft — boats
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. firm — steady
  18. perch — the fish
  19. mate — a friend
  20. band — a ring
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. firm — decided
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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