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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. file — a tool
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. file — a document
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. wake — a trail
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. file — a line of people
  18. hide — to keep secret

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