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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. chest — a box
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. mug — to rob
  9. prune — to trim
  10. stock — goods
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. prune — to trim
  13. chair — a leader
  14. land — to come down
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stock — shares
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mug — a face
  21. chest — of your body
  22. mug — a cup
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. chair — a professorship

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