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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. stock — goods
  4. fork — in a road
  5. root — of a word
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. spring — a coil
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — a thing
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stock — shares
  12. object — to protest
  13. spring — of water
  14. season — of the year
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. spring — the season
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. season — in sport
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — a garden tool

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