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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. stock — goods
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. rest — a break
  5. stock — shares
  6. rest — what's left
  7. track — to keep track
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. root — of a word
  11. track — a song
  12. mate — a friend
  13. root — of a plant
  14. spring — a coil
  15. track — a path
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. spring — the season
  19. fork — in a road
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. rest — what's left
  24. root — the cause

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