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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bank — for money
  4. stock — shares
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. bank — of a river
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. mine — for digging
  11. deal — to handle
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. craft — a skill
  14. court — of a king
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. season — in sport
  17. court — for sport
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. branch — a division
  21. court — of law
  22. craft — boats
  23. season — of the year
  24. bank — for money

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