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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rock — music
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — goods
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. rest — a break
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bound — certain
  12. stock — shares
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bound — obliged
  15. shower — rain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. rest — what's left
  19. shower — to wash
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pass — a permit
  22. rock — a stone
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. ground — a position

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