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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. spring — of water
  5. stock — goods
  6. snap — to click
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. rash — hasty
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. rash — a series
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. date — the fruit
  19. rush — hurry
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. stock — shares
  24. spring — the season

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