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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. scale — size or range
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bear — the animal
  10. content — happy
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. bear — the animal
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stock — goods
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. stock — shares
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. scale — in music
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. content — the amount

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