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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. staff — employees
  3. stock — shares
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. stock — goods
  6. hand — help
  7. dip — to sink
  8. hand — in cards
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. staff — a stick
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. staff — employees
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. stand — to bear
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. root — the cause
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. stand — for spectators

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