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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. cell — in biology
  3. stock — shares
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — a weight
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. wound — an injury
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. object — to protest
  11. spring — the season
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. object — a thing
  15. spring — of water
  16. object — an aim
  17. cell — a phone
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mate — to breed
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. spring — a coil
  22. mate — a friend
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. mate — a partner

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