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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  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. stock — goods
  2. face — to confront
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. object — a thing
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. face — to point toward
  7. last — finally
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. wind — moving air
  10. root — of a plant
  11. last — to go on
  12. stock — shares
  13. root — of a word
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. object — an aim
  16. face — part of the head
  17. root — the cause
  18. wind — moving air
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. last — final
  21. object — to protest
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to sink
  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