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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. stock — shares
  3. can — to be able to
  4. tear — from crying
  5. plane — a tool
  6. tear — from crying
  7. press — to push
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. tear — to rip
  10. mine — for digging
  11. band — a music group
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. can — a tin
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. press — a publisher
  17. can — a tin
  18. press — newspapers
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. stock — goods
  23. band — a ring
  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