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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. stock — goods
  3. can — a tin
  4. track — a path
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. branch — a division
  7. bore — to drill
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. root — the cause
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. can — a tin
  12. track — to keep track
  13. wind — moving air
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. present — the time now
  16. root — of a plant
  17. track — a song
  18. present — there
  19. present — a gift
  20. can — to be able to
  21. root — of a word
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bore — to 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