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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. current — of water
  3. spring — the season
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. land — ground
  6. rush — hurry
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. land — to come down
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bulb — for light
  12. land — a country
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. current — electric
  15. current — happening now
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bulb — for light
  18. spring — a coil
  19. stock — goods
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spring — of water
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — to hurry

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