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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. stock — goods
  4. fall — to drop
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rest — a break
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rule — government
  12. bear — the animal
  13. branch — a division
  14. rule — a law
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. stock — shares
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bear — the animal
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. fall — the season
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a city

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