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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. pop — to visit
  3. stem — to come from
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. shower — to wash
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. stock — shares
  16. pop — music
  17. shower — rain
  18. pop — soda
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — the amount
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. content — happy
  24. nail — for a hammer

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