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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. capital — a city
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. lean — thin
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bark — to shout
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. capital — money
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. lean — to bend
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. shower — to wash
  20. stock — goods
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. plane — a tool
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. bark — 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