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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. current — of water
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fine — all right
  8. current — electric
  9. tube — the underground
  10. stock — shares
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. root — the cause
  14. stock — goods
  15. fine — high quality
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. wound — an injury
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — of a word
  21. current — happening now
  22. squash — the sport
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. squash — to crush

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