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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. stock — goods
  3. bore — to tire
  4. stem — to come from
  5. fine — high quality
  6. bore — to drill
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. hand — in cards
  9. fine — all right
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. net — in sport
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. hand — help
  22. net — for catching
  23. stock — shares
  24. leaves — to go away

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