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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. branch — a division
  3. scale — size or range
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. scale — in music
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. rock — music
  8. wind — moving air
  9. race — humankind
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. stock — shares
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. chip — for betting
  17. stock — goods
  18. race — a contest
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. chip — to eat
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. rock — a stone
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. race — the arms race

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