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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bat — the animal
  5. stock — shares
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. band — a music group
  8. chair — a leader
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. prune — to trim
  19. band — a ring
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. stock — goods

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