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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. shower — to wash
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. season — in sport
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. shower — rain
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. stock — shares
  11. season — of the year
  12. cell — in biology
  13. stand — to bear
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — the amount
  16. cell — a phone
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. lean — to bend
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stock — goods
  24. content — happy

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