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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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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: stock · rock · key · leaves · bear · craft · ground · saw

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rock — music
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. craft — a skill
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. stock — goods
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. craft — boats
  12. stock — shares
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. rock — a stone
  15. ground — the earth
  16. key — the most important part
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bear — the animal
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. ground — a position
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. key — in music
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. key — for a lock

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