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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 120 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. shower — to wash
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. shower — rain
  5. stock — shares
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. lean — thin
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bulb — for light
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — the animal
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. stock — goods

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