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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. stock — shares
  3. file — a tool
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stock — goods
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. file — a document
  13. bore — to drill
  14. cold — not warm
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bank — of a river
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bore — to tire
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. file — a line of people
  24. mouse — for a computer

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