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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. saw — the tool
  3. lean — to bend
  4. capital — a city
  5. branch — a division
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. lean — thin
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. capital — money
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. stock — shares
  18. pit — in a race
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. pit — a hole

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