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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. press — a publisher
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. foot — a measure
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. season — in sport
  10. spring — a coil
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. object — to protest
  13. object — a thing
  14. press — to push
  15. spring — of water
  16. season — of the year
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. object — an aim
  21. stock — goods
  22. press — newspapers
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. patient — a sick person

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