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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. stock — goods
  3. march — music
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — in music
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. squash — to crush
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. craft — a skill
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. squash — the sport
  19. craft — boats
  20. march — the month
  21. branch — a division
  22. stock — shares
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. march — the month

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