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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — shares
  3. bore — to tire
  4. current — of water
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bore — to drill
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. current — electric
  11. hand — help
  12. current — happening now
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — to bend
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. lean — thin
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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