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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. drill — the tool
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bear — the animal
  15. drill — army training
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bear — the animal
  18. stock — shares
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bound — tied together
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — of a word
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. root — the cause

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