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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: stock · plane · toast · last · rule · wound · band · perch

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. band — a ring
  3. plane — a tool
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. band — a music group
  6. last — final
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. stock — goods
  9. rule — government
  10. wound — an injury
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — shares
  14. toast — bread
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. last — finally
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. perch — the fish
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. last — to go on
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. wound — an injury

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