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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. shower — rain
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. stock — shares
  7. can — a tin
  8. suit — in cards
  9. suit — clothes
  10. last — to go on
  11. last — finally
  12. pound — a weight
  13. can — a tin
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. shower — to wash
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stock — goods
  19. suit — to fit
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. branch — a division
  22. wind — moving air
  23. can — to be able to
  24. wind — to turn a key

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