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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 116 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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in biology
  8. file — a tool
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — shares
  11. file — a line of people
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. file — a document
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bark — to shout
  23. mine — for digging
  24. fan — to cool the 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