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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. stem — to come from
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. row — a line
  5. saw — the tool
  6. tube — the underground
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. row — to paddle
  9. degree — from a university
  10. stock — shares
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. degree — an amount
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. degree — temperature
  22. stock — goods
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. mouse — the animal

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