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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. spell — magic
  5. wind — moving air
  6. tube — the underground
  7. stock — shares
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. band — a ring
  10. stem — to come from
  11. band — a music group
  12. tube — a container
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — to shout
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. stock — goods
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. spell — a short time
  20. plane — a tool
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. spell — letters

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