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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. net — after costs
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. present — the time now
  7. fall — the season
  8. net — for catching
  9. march — music
  10. stock — shares
  11. march — the month
  12. branch — a division
  13. bear — the animal
  14. present — there
  15. present — a gift
  16. fall — to drop
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. march — the month
  20. net — in sport
  21. band — a ring
  22. bear — the animal
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. band — a music group

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