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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 120 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stock — goods
  5. land — a country
  6. bark — to shout
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. land — ground
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. band — a music group
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. band — a ring
  21. stock — shares
  22. current — happening now
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. land — to come down

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