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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 120 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. bark — to shout
  6. kid — child
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. spell — magic
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. present — a gift
  16. present — there
  17. kid — to tease
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. present — the time now
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. stem — to come from
  23. spell — letters
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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