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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. last — to go on
  3. club — for golf
  4. lie — to recline
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. net — for catching
  7. stock — shares
  8. bank — for money
  9. club — a group
  10. bank — for money
  11. net — after costs
  12. foot — a measure
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. branch — a division
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bank — of a river
  18. last — finally
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. club — for dancing
  21. last — final
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. net — in sport

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