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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. stock — shares
  3. spring — of water
  4. spell — magic
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. root — of a word
  8. spring — the season
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. root — of a plant
  12. net — for catching
  13. root — the cause
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stock — goods
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — to shout
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. stock — a soup base

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