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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. staff — employees
  4. spring — a coil
  5. drill — army training
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — happy
  13. staff — a stick
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — the season
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. stock — shares
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. branch — a division
  24. staff — employees

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