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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. fine — all right
  3. sharp — clever
  4. stock — goods
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — shares
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. fork — in a road
  15. spring — of water
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fine — high quality
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pitcher — a jug

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