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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. firm — decided
  4. scale — size or range
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. hand — in cards
  10. stock — goods
  11. firm — a company
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. firm — steady
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pass — a permit
  21. spring — a coil
  22. scale — in music
  23. stock — shares
  24. hand — help

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