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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 116 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. stock — shares
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — money
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — the season
  11. shower — to wash
  12. spring — of water
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. game — a match
  16. stock — goods
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. shower — rain
  20. stand — to bear
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. game — wild animals

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