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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. chest — of your body
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. fork — in a road
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. perch — the fish
  14. land — ground
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. bulb — for light
  23. chest — a box
  24. stock — shares

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