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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stock — goods
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bank — of a river
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. ground — crushed
  12. stock — shares
  13. staff — employees
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bank — for money
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. staff — employees
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bank — for money
  24. ground — a position

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