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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. craft — boats
  3. stock — goods
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. rash — a series
  6. current — of water
  7. bound — obliged
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rash — hasty
  10. current — happening now
  11. scale — size or range
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bound — certain
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stock — shares
  17. bound — tied together
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. current — electric
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — in music
  23. spring — the season
  24. craft — a skill

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