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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. toast — bread
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. march — the month
  7. staff — employees
  8. wind — moving air
  9. march — music
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stock — shares
  14. ball — a great time
  15. stock — goods
  16. bulb — for light
  17. march — the month
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. stem — to come from
  24. staff — employees

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