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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. stock — shares
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. last — to go on
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. stock — goods
  14. stem — to come from
  15. foot — a measure
  16. mug — to rob
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. mug — a face
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mug — a cup
  24. last — finally

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