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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — shares
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bank — for money
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bank — of a river
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. fall — to drop
  12. deal — to handle
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. staff — employees
  16. bear — the animal
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. staff — employees
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bear — the animal
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bank — for money
  23. row — a line
  24. row — a quarrel

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