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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: stock · mark · hide · band · game · land · stem · ruler

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. band — a ring
  4. land — to come down
  5. game — wild animals
  6. stock — shares
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. stock — goods
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. land — ground
  13. game — a match
  14. stem — to come from
  15. band — a music group
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. mark — a grade
  20. land — a country
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mark — a trace
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. ruler — a monarch

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