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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 116 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. clip — to cut
  3. firm — a company
  4. race — humankind
  5. stock — shares
  6. spring — of water
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rush — hurry
  10. race — the arms race
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. fine — high quality
  14. clip — for paper
  15. fine — all right
  16. clip — a video
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. stock — goods
  19. firm — decided
  20. race — a contest
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. firm — steady
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. fine — a penalty

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