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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. stock — shares
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. land — a country
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rush — hurry
  7. hand — in cards
  8. lean — thin
  9. stock — goods
  10. wake — a trail
  11. prune — to trim
  12. hand — help
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bear — the animal
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. lean — to bend
  24. land — ground

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