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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — high quality
  6. land — a country
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stem — to come from
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. tube — a container
  15. stock — goods
  16. tube — the underground
  17. perch — the fish
  18. stock — shares
  19. land — ground
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. land — to come down
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. deal — to handle
  24. stem — a stem cell

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