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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. clip — for paper
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a ring
  8. pound — a weight
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. stock — shares
  14. clip — to cut
  15. last — finally
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. clip — a video
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. fan — to cool the air

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