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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  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. mine — for digging
  2. cap — of ice
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. stock — shares
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. stock — goods
  9. branch — a division
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. swing — to play on
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. cap — a lid
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. swing — in golf
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. swing — music
  22. pass — a permit
  23. cap — a hat
  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