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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. shower — to wash
  8. current — happening now
  9. drill — army training
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. stock — shares
  12. land — ground
  13. drill — the tool
  14. current — electric
  15. stock — goods
  16. shower — rain
  17. branch — a division
  18. season — of the year
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. drill — a practice
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. season — in sport
  24. current — of water

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