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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 120 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — of a river
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. squash — to crush
  8. scale — in music
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bank — for money
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. scale — size or range
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. rock — music
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. rock — a stone
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. stock — shares

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