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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. craft — boats
  4. stem — to come from
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bass — low music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bass — the fish
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. land — ground
  18. craft — a skill
  19. land — to come down
  20. stock — shares
  21. land — a country
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. stem — a stem cell

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