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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 116 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. drill — army training
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. spring — of water
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. kick — in football
  9. spring — the season
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. stock — goods
  13. bear — the animal
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. stock — shares
  16. spring — a coil
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. drill — a practice
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. drill — the tool
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. branch — a division

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