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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. face — part of the head
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stock — goods
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. fall — to drop
  9. face — to point toward
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. face — to confront
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. squash — the sport
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rock — music
  21. squash — to crush
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rock — a stone
  24. branch — a division

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