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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. file — a document
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. rash — hasty
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. rash — a series
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. stock — goods
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bound — obliged
  12. fork — in a road
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. file — a line of people
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. file — a tool
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bound — tied together
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. bound — certain
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. lash — an eyelash

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