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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. cap — of ice
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. row — a line
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. row — to paddle
  7. rock — a stone
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. ground — the earth
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a song
  15. rush — hurry
  16. cap — a lid
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rock — music
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. track — a path
  22. cap — a hat
  23. ground — a position
  24. row — a quarrel

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