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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 124 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. cold — an illness
  3. branch — a division
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bulb — for light
  11. stock — shares
  12. fall — the season
  13. land — a country
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. land — to come down
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. pit — in a race
  22. cold — not warm
  23. pit — a hole
  24. land — ground

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