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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. fork — in a road
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stock — goods
  8. bank — of a river
  9. net — after costs
  10. bank — for money
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. net — for catching
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. perch — the fish
  18. rush — hurry
  19. net — in sport
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bank — for money
  24. stock — shares

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