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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. root — of a word
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. charge — in control
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — shares
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. season — in sport
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. season — of the year
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. current — electric
  17. root — of a plant
  18. current — happening now
  19. pound — a weight
  20. root — the cause
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. current — of water
  24. charge — a price

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