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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. content — happy
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. content — the amount
  5. band — a ring
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. tube — a container
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bear — the animal
  16. stem — to come from
  17. band — a music group
  18. tube — the underground
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. stock — goods
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. branch — a division

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