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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. stock — shares
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. current — electric
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — to drill
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. current — of water
  16. bear — the animal
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — a division
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bear — the animal
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. current — happening now

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