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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. pop — music
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. fine — all right
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. pop — to visit
  9. squash — the sport
  10. rush — hurry
  11. stock — goods
  12. fine — high quality
  13. stock — shares
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pop — soda
  16. branch — a division
  17. current — happening now
  18. squash — to crush
  19. tear — from crying
  20. current — electric
  21. current — of water
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. tear — to rip
  24. branch — of a tree

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