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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — a tool
  5. march — the month
  6. stock — shares
  7. perch — the fish
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. stock — goods
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bulb — for light
  14. face — part of the head
  15. sharp — clever
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. march — the month
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — to point toward
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. band — a music group
  22. bulb — for light
  23. band — a ring
  24. march — music

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