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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. spring — the season
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stock — shares
  7. spring — of water
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. stock — goods
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — of a river
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bank — for money
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. spring — a coil

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