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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. stock — goods
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. firm — steady
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cap — a lid
  11. stock — shares
  12. firm — a company
  13. wind — moving air
  14. branch — a division
  15. firm — decided
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. cap — of ice
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. cap — a hat
  24. bowl — a football final

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