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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. perch — the fish
  5. content — the amount
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — to visit
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — a division
  13. bank — for money
  14. stock — goods
  15. spring — the season
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. pop — soda
  18. stock — shares
  19. content — happy
  20. bank — for money
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bank — of a river
  24. content — videos and posts

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