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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. land — to come down
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. stock — shares
  7. track — a song
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. land — ground
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. stock — goods
  12. drill — the tool
  13. land — a country
  14. track — a path
  15. vault — a safe
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. drill — a practice
  19. band — a ring
  20. track — to keep track
  21. pass — a permit
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. drill — army training

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