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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mug — to rob
  3. wake — a trail
  4. stock — shares
  5. hand — in cards
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. mug — a cup
  12. branch — a division
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mug — a face
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. club — for dancing
  20. club — a group
  21. hand — help
  22. club — for golf
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. stock — goods

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