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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. root — the cause
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. band — a music group
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. kid — to tease
  9. net — after costs
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. root — of a word
  13. lean — to bend
  14. band — a ring
  15. net — in sport
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cell — in biology
  18. kid — child
  19. lean — thin
  20. net — for catching
  21. stock — shares
  22. cell — a phone
  23. root — of a plant
  24. stock — a soup base

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