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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. dip — to sink
  4. prune — to trim
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. stock — shares
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rash — a series
  13. stock — goods
  14. shower — to wash
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. rash — hasty
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. prune — to trim
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. shower — rain
  23. bear — the animal
  24. patient — a sick person

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