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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. lie — to recline
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. lean — thin
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. land — ground
  8. ground — a position
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. stock — goods
  11. ground — the earth
  12. stem — to come from
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. lean — to bend
  18. land — to come down
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. land — a country
  21. ground — crushed
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. season — in sport

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