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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. mark — a grade
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. mark — a trace
  9. wax — to grow
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. wound — an injury
  12. present — there
  13. present — a gift
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — to drill
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — shares
  20. kid — child
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. kid — to tease
  24. present — the time now

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