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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. branch — a division
  3. march — the month
  4. stock — shares
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. season — of the year
  7. rash — hasty
  8. season — in sport
  9. rash — a series
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — to eat
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. pound — a weight
  14. prune — to trim
  15. stock — goods
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. march — the month
  23. prune — to trim
  24. march — music

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