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

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. land — a country
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — a stone
  6. court — for sport
  7. land — ground
  8. court — of a king
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. court — of law
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. scale — size or range
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. land — to come down
  18. scale — in music

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