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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. spell — magic
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. spring — the season
  5. stock — shares
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spell — letters
  8. stock — goods
  9. object — an aim
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ground — a position
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. ground — the earth
  16. spring — of water
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. ground — crushed
  20. object — a thing
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. object — to protest
  23. spell — a short time
  24. leaves — of a tree

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