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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. stock — shares
  3. object — to protest
  4. bulb — for light
  5. toast — bread
  6. object — a thing
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. branch — a division
  9. object — an aim
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bulb — for light
  12. row — to paddle
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. row — a line
  19. stock — goods
  20. pound — a weight
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stock — a soup base

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