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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — goods
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. chair — a leader
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. dip — to sink
  7. spring — a coil
  8. season — in sport
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. prune — to trim
  11. season — of the year
  12. spring — of water
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. spring — the season
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. prune — to trim
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pound — a weight
  23. stock — shares
  24. prune — the fruit

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