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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. prune — to trim
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bound — certain
  13. scale — in music
  14. dip — to sink
  15. land — to come down
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bound — tied together
  19. stock — goods
  20. bound — obliged
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. land — a country
  23. stock — shares
  24. scale — size or range

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