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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 120 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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. spell — a short time
  7. field — farmland
  8. rock — music
  9. net — in sport
  10. stock — shares
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. pit — in a race
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. net — after costs
  16. spell — letters
  17. pit — a hole
  18. field — a subject
  19. rock — a stone
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. branch — a division
  22. net — for catching
  23. field — for sport
  24. spell — magic

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