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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 124 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. clip — to cut
  3. branch — a division
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. suit — to fit
  7. stock — shares
  8. suit — in cards
  9. suit — clothes
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stock — goods
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. clip — for paper
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. clip — a video
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. branch — of a tree

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