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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. fall — the season
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. fall — to drop
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. root — of a plant
  8. deal — to handle
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. foot — a measure
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. root — of a word
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mine — for digging
  22. root — the cause
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. fall — to drop

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