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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bank — for money
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bank — of a river
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — a series
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bank — for money
  15. tube — the underground
  16. current — of water
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the fish
  19. current — electric
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. tube — a container
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. current — happening now
  24. branch — of a bank

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