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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. stock — goods
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — thin
  8. mark — a grade
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — shares
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. can — a tin
  13. net — for catching
  14. mark — a trace
  15. band — a music group
  16. tube — a container
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. net — after costs
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. net — in sport
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. tube — the underground

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