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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bulb — for light
  3. prune — to trim
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. shower — rain
  6. stock — shares
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. present — the time now
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. present — there
  12. bulb — for light
  13. deal — to handle
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. present — a gift
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. kid — child
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — a soup base

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