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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — goods
  4. kick — in football
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. spring — of water
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — size or range
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bank — for money
  12. mark — a trace
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. scale — in music
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bank — of a river
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bank — for money
  24. mark — a grade

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