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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. fork — in a road
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. fall — the season
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — goods
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. rash — hasty
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. spring — of water
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. pound — a weight
  18. fall — to drop
  19. spring — the season
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fall — to drop
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rash — a series
  24. calf — a young animal

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