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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bound — tied together
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. cold — an illness
  7. drill — a practice
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. cold — not warm
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bound — certain
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. charge — a price
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. charge — in control
  18. drill — the tool
  19. charge — electricity
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — goods
  23. drill — army training
  24. bound — obliged

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