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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. wound — an injury
  5. chip — to eat
  6. bark — to shout
  7. stock — shares
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. chip — for betting
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. wind — moving air
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stock — goods

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