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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. row — a line
  7. stock — goods
  8. tear — to rip
  9. row — to paddle
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. stock — shares
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. tear — from crying
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. club — for dancing
  22. tear — from crying
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. mouse — for a computer

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