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

Word bank: stock · saw · cell · bear · rest · season · key · ruler

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. cell — a phone
  5. key — the most important part
  6. stock — goods
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. key — for a lock
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. rest — a break
  11. season — of the year
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. stock — shares
  15. bear — the animal
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rest — what's left
  21. key — in music
  22. bear — the animal
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. season — in sport

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