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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. branch — a division
  5. scale — size or range
  6. clip — a video
  7. rule — government
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. shower — rain
  10. current — happening now
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. shower — to wash
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. rule — a law
  15. current — of water
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. stock — goods
  18. clip — for paper
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. current — electric
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. clip — to cut
  23. scale — in music
  24. leaves — lets stay

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