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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. saw — the tool
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. saw — the tool
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. capital — money
  14. chair — a leader
  15. capital — a city
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rock — music
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. wake — a trail
  21. rock — a stone
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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