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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bulb — for light
  5. rush — hurry
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. stock — goods
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bulb — for light
  16. net — for catching
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. stock — shares
  22. kid — child
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. kid — to tease

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