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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bear — the animal
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. mug — to rob
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stem — to come from
  11. game — a match
  12. bear — the animal
  13. season — of the year
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. stock — shares
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. season — in sport
  18. fine — high quality
  19. wax — to grow
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mug — a face
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. stock — goods
  24. fine — all right

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