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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. branch — a division
  3. stock — goods
  4. tube — a container
  5. charge — a price
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. tube — the underground
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. charge — in control
  16. bat — the animal
  17. season — of the year
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. charge — electricity
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. season — in sport

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