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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bass — low music
  8. stock — goods
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bass — the fish
  12. stock — shares
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pop — soda
  16. branch — a division
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. spring — a coil
  19. pop — music
  20. spring — the season
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. racket — for tennis

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