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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. roll — a cake
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pit — in a race
  5. row — to paddle
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. row — a line
  9. stock — goods
  10. bulb — for light
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bulb — for light
  13. sharp — clever
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. pit — a hole
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. roll — a list
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. branch — a division

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