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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: cold · mark · bowl · stock · cap · bear · straw · bore

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. stock — goods
  11. bore — to tire
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — a grade
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a lid
  24. stock — shares

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