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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. stock — shares
  3. rash — hasty
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. wake — a trail
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stock — goods
  10. press — newspapers
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. press — a publisher
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stem — to come from
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. press — to push
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. rash — a series
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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