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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 116 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bear — the animal
  3. spring — of water
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. stock — goods
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. degree — from a university
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — a contest
  12. craft — boats
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bass — low music
  15. pound — a weight
  16. stock — shares
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. craft — a skill
  20. race — humankind
  21. degree — temperature
  22. spring — a coil
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bass — the fish

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