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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. present — a gift
  4. scale — in music
  5. present — there
  6. scale — size or range
  7. present — the time now
  8. object — a thing
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. stock — goods
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a dance
  16. object — an aim
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. branch — a division
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wake — a trail

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