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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. craft — boats
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. craft — a skill
  5. stock — shares
  6. bank — of a river
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. staff — employees
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. squash — the sport
  16. game — a match
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bank — for money
  20. staff — a stick
  21. stock — goods
  22. staff — employees
  23. branch — a division
  24. game — wild animals

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