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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fall — to drop
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fall — to drop
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. stock — goods
  10. band — a music group
  11. bank — for money
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. band — a ring
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fall — the season
  19. perch — the fish
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bank — for money
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. perch — for a bird

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