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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. staff — employees
  3. cold — an illness
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the sport
  6. stock — goods
  7. staff — employees
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. roll — a cake
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bass — the fish
  12. staff — a stick
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bass — low music
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. cold — not warm
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. stock — shares
  23. roll — a list
  24. cold — the Cold War

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