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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 116 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. spring — the season
  3. branch — a division
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. spring — a coil
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — shares
  16. scale — size or range
  17. spring — of water
  18. scale — in music
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for golf
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. pound — a weight
  24. branch — of a bank

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