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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 120 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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. branch — a division
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. perch — the fish
  7. pop — soda
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. fork — in a road
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wax — to grow
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pop — music
  16. stock — goods
  17. pop — to visit
  18. degree — an amount
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — from a university
  22. stock — shares
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. wax — in the ear

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