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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. stock — goods
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stock — shares
  5. last — to go on
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bear — the animal
  8. court — for sport
  9. last — finally
  10. last — final
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bear — the animal
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. court — of a king
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a plant
  18. court — of law
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. spring — the season
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. root — of a word
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. spring — of water

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