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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. root — of a plant
  3. kick — in football
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. shower — to wash
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. season — in sport
  11. vault — a safe
  12. stem — to come from
  13. shower — rain
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stock — shares
  19. season — of the year
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — the cause
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. stem — of a plant

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