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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. season — of the year
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bear — the animal
  8. face — to confront
  9. deal — to handle
  10. land — to come down
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to point toward
  16. land — a country
  17. season — in sport
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. stock — goods
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. branch — a division
  22. land — ground
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. calf — a young animal

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