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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. track — to keep track
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. track — a song
  8. bark — to shout
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. stock — goods
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. scale — in music
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. stock — shares
  16. pitch — completely
  17. scale — size or range
  18. roll — a cake
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. track — a path
  21. mine — for digging
  22. branch — a division
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. roll — a list

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