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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rest · mine · dip · stock · bear · squash

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rest — a break
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. dip — to sink
  7. squash — the sport
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. rest — what's left
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stock — goods
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bear — the animal
  18. stock — a soup base

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