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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. stock — goods
  4. bass — low music
  5. stock — shares
  6. bass — the fish
  7. can — a tin
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. current — of water
  10. current — happening now
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. toast — bread
  13. mine — for digging
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. current — electric
  19. can — to be able to
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. can — a tin
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  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