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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: trunk · perch · band · cap · ball · key · stock · tube

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. band — a ring
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — the fish
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. tube — a container
  8. ball — a great time
  9. key — for a lock
  10. tube — the underground
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. stock — shares
  13. cap — of ice
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. key — in music
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. key — the most important part
  23. band — a music group
  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