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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  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. spring — of water
  2. stock — shares
  3. snap — to click
  4. bulb — for light
  5. spring — the season
  6. stock — goods
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. dip — to sink
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. tear — from crying
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bulb — for light
  16. fall — to drop
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. fall — the season
  19. tear — to rip
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. fall — to drop
  23. tear — from crying
  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