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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. can — a tin
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. roll — a cake
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. spring — the season
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. roll — a list
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. stock — goods
  13. pound — a weight
  14. stock — shares
  15. can — to be able to
  16. race — the arms race
  17. spring — of water
  18. race — humankind
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. can — a tin
  22. branch — a division
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pound — for dogs

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