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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. drill — a practice
  6. craft — a skill
  7. stock — goods
  8. land — a country
  9. stock — shares
  10. degree — temperature
  11. stem — to come from
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. drill — army training
  14. degree — from a university
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. degree — an amount
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. drill — the tool
  21. craft — boats
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — ground
  24. mouse — the animal

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