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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 116 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. mark — a grade
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bank — for money
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. field — a subject
  9. stock — goods
  10. wind — moving air
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. field — for sport
  14. pop — music
  15. mark — a trace
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — soda
  19. field — farmland
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. stock — shares
  23. wind — moving air
  24. deal — a big deal

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