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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. rule — government
  4. pit — in a race
  5. kid — to tease
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — the underground
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. tube — a container
  14. pit — a hole
  15. rule — a law
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bark — to shout
  22. branch — a division
  23. stock — goods
  24. kid — child

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