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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 120 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 don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. pop — soda
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rock — music
  7. tear — from crying
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pop — music
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. perch — the fish
  14. stock — goods
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bulb — for light
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stock — shares
  21. rock — a stone
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. tear — from crying

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