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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bear — the animal
  3. ground — crushed
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — goods
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. craft — boats
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. craft — a skill
  11. date — the fruit
  12. ground — the earth
  13. staff — employees
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bore — to drill
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bear — the animal
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. staff — employees
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. staff — a stick
  24. bore — gave birth

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