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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. track — a song
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bear — the animal
  7. tube — the underground
  8. branch — a division
  9. rash — hasty
  10. spring — the season
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. spring — a coil
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. rash — a series
  17. bear — the animal
  18. ball — a great time
  19. tube — a container
  20. ball — a dance
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. spring — of water
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bear — to put up with

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