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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. track — a song
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. ground — the earth
  6. mate — a partner
  7. ground — crushed
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — to bend
  10. track — to keep track
  11. ground — a position
  12. lean — thin
  13. stock — goods
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — of water
  16. stem — to come from
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — to breed
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. spring — the season
  23. stock — shares
  24. track — a path

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