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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bass — low music
  4. stock — goods
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stock — shares
  10. field — for sport
  11. bass — the fish
  12. squash — to crush
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — a subject
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. squash — the sport
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. can — a tin

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