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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bound — obliged
  4. prune — to trim
  5. season — of the year
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bound — tied together
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. saw — the tool
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bore — to tire
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bound — certain
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — shares
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. season — in sport
  24. patient — a sick person

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