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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. key — the most important part
  4. rest — what's left
  5. field — farmland
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rest — a break
  8. stock — goods
  9. bank — for money
  10. key — in music
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. rest — what's left
  14. key — for a lock
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. stock — shares
  18. bank — for money
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bank — of a river
  21. cap — a hat
  22. field — a subject
  23. cap — of ice
  24. field — for sport

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