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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. mate — a partner
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — goods
  9. bank — for money
  10. dip — to sink
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rest — a break
  15. mate — to breed
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bank — for money
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. saw — the tool
  23. stock — shares
  24. bank — of a river

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