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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. mug — a face
  3. lean — to bend
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. land — a country
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. mug — a cup
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mug — to rob
  10. stock — shares
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. spring — of water
  13. land — to come down
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. land — ground
  20. lean — thin
  21. stock — goods
  22. foot — a measure
  23. spring — the season
  24. jam — a tight spot

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