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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bore — to drill
  8. foot — a measure
  9. stock — goods
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. branch — a division
  13. ground — a position
  14. deal — to handle
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. ground — crushed
  20. wax — to grow
  21. stock — shares
  22. bore — to tire
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. wax — for sculpting

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