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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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. spring — a coil
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. pop — music
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pop — to visit
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. pitch — completely
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. spring — of water
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. wind — moving air
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. stock — shares
  22. spring — the season
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. chair — to sit on

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