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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. stock — shares
  3. court — of law
  4. spell — magic
  5. lean — to bend
  6. key — in music
  7. key — the most important part
  8. spell — letters
  9. object — to protest
  10. lean — thin
  11. spell — a short time
  12. object — a thing
  13. object — an aim
  14. bear — the animal
  15. court — for sport
  16. key — for a lock
  17. court — of a king
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stock — goods
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bear — the animal

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