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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: current · perch · rule · chair · band · firm · stock · lean

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. current — of water
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. current — electric
  6. rule — government
  7. perch — the fish
  8. stock — goods
  9. current — happening now
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. firm — a company
  12. stock — shares
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. firm — decided
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. band — a ring
  18. firm — steady
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. lean — thin
  21. rule — a law
  22. lean — to bend
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. lean — to rest against

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