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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. net — after costs
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. net — for catching
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. root — of a word
  11. craft — a skill
  12. root — of a plant
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. root — the cause
  15. toast — bread
  16. net — in sport
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. craft — boats
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. stock — shares
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. toast — the most admired

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