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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: rest · stock · season · fine · jam · staff · band · wind

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. band — a music group
  3. wind — moving air
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. season — of the year
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. staff — employees
  12. wind — moving air
  13. staff — a stick
  14. rest — what's left
  15. band — a ring
  16. fine — all right
  17. season — in sport
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. staff — employees
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. stock — shares
  22. rest — a break
  23. stock — goods
  24. wind — to turn a key

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