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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. saw — the tool
  4. land — a country
  5. stock — shares
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bore — to tire
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. field — for sport
  16. squash — the sport
  17. bore — to drill
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. stock — goods
  24. wave — of the sea

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