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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. net — in sport
  5. stock — shares
  6. net — after costs
  7. season — of the year
  8. stock — goods
  9. field — for sport
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. field — a subject
  12. spring — of water
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spring — the season
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. field — farmland
  18. rush — hurry
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. net — for catching
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. wound — an injury
  23. season — in sport
  24. spring — a coil

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