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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. rush — hurry
  3. charge — electricity
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a skill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. charge — in control
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. charge — a price
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — a publisher
  19. land — a country
  20. press — to push
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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