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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. band — a music group
  3. rush — hurry
  4. craft — boats
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. track — to keep track
  7. branch — a division
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. stock — shares
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. stock — goods
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. season — of the year
  17. track — a song
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. craft — a skill
  22. track — a path
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. band — a ring

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