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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. cold — not warm
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bulb — for light
  9. stock — shares
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rock — a stone
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. cold — an illness
  22. stock — goods
  23. band — a music group
  24. rock — 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