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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. hand — help
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wind — moving air
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. stock — shares
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. can — to be able to
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. wind — moving air
  17. hand — in cards
  18. can — a tin
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bulb — of a plant

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