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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 116 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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. mark — a trace
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chair — a leader
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. stem — to come from
  9. tear — from crying
  10. deal — to handle
  11. mark — a grade
  12. stock — goods
  13. tear — to rip
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — a soup base

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