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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. present — a gift
  7. cap — a lid
  8. present — the time now
  9. rest — what's left
  10. present — there
  11. cap — a hat
  12. stock — shares
  13. rest — a break
  14. spring — of water
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stem — to come from
  18. cap — of ice
  19. band — a ring
  20. stock — goods
  21. spring — a coil
  22. wound — an injury
  23. spring — the season
  24. stock — a soup base

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