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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. stock — goods
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — the earth
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — boats
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. bank — for money
  11. mine — for digging
  12. drill — the tool
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bank — of a river
  17. mark — a grade
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. ground — crushed
  22. drill — army training
  23. bank — for money
  24. mark — a trace

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