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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bear — the animal
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. track — a path
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. track — to keep track
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. stock — shares
  13. bear — the animal
  14. track — a song
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. branch — a division
  19. rush — hurry
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. wind — moving air
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. stock — goods

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