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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 120 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. branch — a division
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. game — a match
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. game — wild animals
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bass — the fish
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. stock — shares
  23. prune — to trim
  24. stock — goods

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