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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  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. branch — of a bank
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. stock — shares
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. branch — a division
  10. tube — a container
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — hurry
  17. shower — rain
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. tube — the underground
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. shower — to wash
  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