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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: mug · stock · object · pitcher · perch · shower · jam · band

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. perch — the fish
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. mug — to rob
  8. object — to protest
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. shower — rain
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. band — a music group
  13. object — an aim
  14. object — a thing
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. band — a ring
  17. stock — goods
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mug — a cup
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. mug — a face
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. shower — to wash

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