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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. branch — a division
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. stock — shares
  7. lie — to recline
  8. stock — goods
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. shower — rain
  11. cap — of ice
  12. current — of water
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cap — a hat
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. current — electric
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. cap — a lid
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. current — happening now

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