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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. stock — goods
  4. pitch — completely
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — in music
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. stock — shares
  10. root — the cause
  11. rule — government
  12. scale — size or range
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. plane — a tool
  18. root — of a word
  19. prune — to trim
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. root — of a plant
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. prune — to trim

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