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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. saw — the tool
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. object — to protest
  7. saw — the tool
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. stock — goods
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. ground — the earth
  12. stock — shares
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — a position
  17. last — to go on
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. object — an aim
  21. branch — a division
  22. last — finally
  23. last — final
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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