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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. court — of a king
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stock — goods
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bass — the fish
  16. stock — shares
  17. sharp — clever
  18. court — for sport
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bass — low music
  21. court — of law
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. branch — a division

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