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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. tube — the underground
  3. spring — the season
  4. stock — shares
  5. spring — of water
  6. net — for catching
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. net — after costs
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. stem — to come from
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. game — wild animals
  14. stock — goods
  15. net — in sport
  16. game — a match
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. stock — a soup base

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