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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. wind — moving air
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — there
  5. perch — the fish
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. press — to push
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. prune — to trim
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. stock — shares
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. present — the time now
  14. press — newspapers
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. press — a publisher
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. deal — to handle
  24. wind — moving air

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