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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. branch — a division
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. stock — goods
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. mug — to rob
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. tube — the underground
  11. squash — the sport
  12. stock — shares
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. kid — to tease
  15. tube — a container
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. squash — to crush
  20. mug — a face
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. kid — child
  24. tube — in a tire

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