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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. bore — to tire
  5. stock — goods
  6. firm — steady
  7. field — a subject
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bore — to drill
  10. wind — moving air
  11. press — to push
  12. stock — shares
  13. press — newspapers
  14. field — farmland
  15. wind — moving air
  16. land — a country
  17. field — for sport
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. firm — a company
  21. press — a publisher
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. firm — decided

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