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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. track — a song
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. track — to keep track
  7. stock — shares
  8. net — in sport
  9. branch — a division
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. tear — from crying
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. track — a path
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. stock — goods
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. jam — a tight spot

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