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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. stock — goods
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. snap — to click
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bulb — for light
  10. stock — shares
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. stem — to come from
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. track — a path
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. track — to keep track
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. press — newspapers
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. track — a song
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. press — to push
  24. wind — to turn a key

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