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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. net — for catching
  3. spring — a coil
  4. drill — army training
  5. bore — to drill
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — for digging
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. net — after costs
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. bore — to tire
  13. pass — a permit
  14. spring — of water
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. spring — the season
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. net — in sport
  23. drill — a practice
  24. stock — shares

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