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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 116 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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. spring — a coil
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. spring — of water
  19. bank — for money
  20. spring — the season
  21. bore — to drill
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bank — for money
  24. racket — for tennis

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