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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. cell — in biology
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stock — goods
  5. branch — a division
  6. root — of a plant
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. root — the cause
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. root — of a word
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. wax — to grow
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stock — shares
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cell — a phone

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