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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stock — shares
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bulb — for light
  7. root — the cause
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. fine — all right
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bulb — for light
  13. root — of a word
  14. saw — the tool
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — in a road
  17. root — of a plant
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. stock — goods
  23. fine — high quality
  24. wind — moving air

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