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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. chip — for betting
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. chip — to eat
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. tube — a container
  10. stock — goods
  11. suit — in cards
  12. suit — to fit
  13. hand — help
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spring — a coil
  18. tube — the underground
  19. suit — clothes
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. hand — in cards
  23. stock — shares
  24. spring — of water

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