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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. squash — the sport
  4. spring — of water
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. net — for catching
  7. court — of a king
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — in sport
  10. bound — obliged
  11. spring — a coil
  12. branch — a division
  13. squash — to crush
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. court — of law
  17. spring — the season
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bound — tied together
  20. mug — a face
  21. bound — certain
  22. stock — shares
  23. court — for sport
  24. mug — to rob

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