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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. kid — child
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — electric
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. land — ground
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. land — a country
  9. land — to come down
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. branch — a division
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. stock — shares
  18. perch — the fish
  19. stock — goods
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. current — of water
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bulb — of a plant

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