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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 120 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 was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  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. hide — animal skin
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. fine — high quality
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stock — shares
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. capital — money
  10. pop — soda
  11. bulb — for light
  12. fine — all right
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bulb — for light
  15. stock — goods
  16. pop — to visit
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pop — music
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. capital — a city
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. capital — a big letter
  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