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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bound — tied together
  3. prune — to trim
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. stock — shares
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stock — goods
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bound — certain
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. foot — a measure
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bound — obliged
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. calf — a young animal

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