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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. object — to protest
  3. stock — shares
  4. object — an aim
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wind — moving air
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — a weight
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. bark — to shout
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. wind — moving air
  22. deal — to handle
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. object — a thing

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