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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 116 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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — in music
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. board — to get on
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. stock — goods
  9. board — a committee
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. net — in sport
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. net — for catching
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. net — after costs

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