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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bulb — for light
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hand — in cards
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. stem — to come from
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. hand — help
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. stock — shares
  15. bulb — for light
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a friend
  21. stock — goods
  22. kid — to tease
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. mate — a partner

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