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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. stock — shares
  3. bank — of a river
  4. root — the cause
  5. root — of a word
  6. bound — certain
  7. season — of the year
  8. bank — for money
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — obliged
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. root — of a plant
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — in sport
  15. stock — goods
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. bank — for money

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