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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. stock — goods
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. march — the month
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. content — happy
  13. prune — to trim
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. content — the amount
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. stock — shares
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. ground — a position
  24. mouse — for a computer

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