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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pop — music
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. bear — the animal
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. mark — a trace
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stock — shares
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bat — the animal
  18. stock — goods
  19. mark — a grade
  20. pop — soda
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stem — to come from
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. wind — moving air

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