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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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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: racket · row · craft · season · stock · bear · fine · ground

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. craft — boats
  3. fine — all right
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — a skill
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stock — shares
  10. ground — crushed
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. ground — the earth
  13. fine — high quality
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a line
  18. bear — the animal
  19. season — of the year
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bear — the animal
  24. ground — a position

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