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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. current — happening now
  4. season — of the year
  5. swing — to play on
  6. current — electric
  7. rule — government
  8. swing — music
  9. tear — to rip
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. rule — a law
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. season — in sport
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. current — of water
  18. stock — shares
  19. stem — to come from
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. swing — in golf
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in music

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