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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 116 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. cell — in biology
  4. spring — a coil
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. lean — thin
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — a publisher
  9. stock — shares
  10. press — to push
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bass — low music
  20. cell — a phone
  21. lean — to bend
  22. spring — the season
  23. spring — of water
  24. stock — goods

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