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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. season — of the year
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. land — a country
  8. bore — to tire
  9. rush — hurry
  10. land — to come down
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. land — ground
  20. stem — to come from
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. stock — goods
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. season — in sport

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