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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pop — music
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. spring — of water
  7. deal — to handle
  8. pop — to visit
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. object — an aim
  11. spring — the season
  12. band — a music group
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. spring — a coil
  15. row — to paddle
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. band — a ring
  18. stock — shares
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. object — to protest
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. pop — soda
  23. row — a line
  24. object — a thing

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