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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. tube — the underground
  3. branch — a division
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for golf
  6. club — for dancing
  7. lean — to bend
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. file — a tool
  15. lean — thin
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. file — a line of people
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. file — a document
  21. tube — a container
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. stock — shares

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