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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bear — the animal
  4. row — to paddle
  5. field — farmland
  6. row — a line
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. stock — shares
  9. rock — a stone
  10. saw — the tool
  11. spring — the season
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. saw — the tool
  14. field — for sport
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. field — a subject
  18. rock — music
  19. bear — the animal
  20. kick — in football
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. spring — of water
  24. kick — a thrill

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