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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bore — to tire
  5. fine — high quality
  6. stock — shares
  7. bass — low music
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bore — to drill
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bass — the fish
  16. perch — the fish
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fine — all right

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