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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. chest — a box
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bore — to drill
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stock — shares
  10. spring — the season
  11. chest — of your body
  12. spring — of water
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — happy
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bass — low music
  17. content — the amount
  18. bore — to tire
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bass — the fish
  21. stock — goods
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. wound — an injury

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