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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 124 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — clothes
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stock — shares
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — low music
  10. land — to come down
  11. suit — to fit
  12. land — ground
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. root — of a word
  16. prune — to trim
  17. land — a country
  18. root — of a plant
  19. stock — goods
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. root — the cause
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. rush — hurry

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