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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. net — in sport
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bulb — for light
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bank — for money
  8. rash — hasty
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — goods
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rash — a series
  14. shower — rain
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bear — the animal
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mine — for digging
  20. net — for catching
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. net — after costs
  23. bank — for money
  24. bear — to put up with

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