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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: can · perch · wave · cell · tear · stock · drill · band

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. drill — the tool
  3. tear — to rip
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. perch — the fish
  6. band — a music group
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. can — a tin
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. stock — goods
  12. can — to be able to
  13. stock — shares
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. cell — a phone
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. tear — from crying
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. band — a ring
  20. cell — in biology
  21. tear — from crying
  22. can — a tin
  23. drill — army training
  24. perch — for a bird

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