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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. spring — the season
  3. stock — goods
  4. spring — of water
  5. current — of water
  6. season — of the year
  7. net — in sport
  8. current — happening now
  9. bulb — for light
  10. spring — a coil
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — for catching
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. season — in sport
  16. tear — to rip
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. current — electric
  20. bulb — for light
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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