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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 116 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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. current — happening now
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. swing — in golf
  7. shower — rain
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. net — for catching
  11. swing — to play on
  12. current — of water
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. net — in sport
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. shower — to wash
  22. current — electric
  23. net — after costs
  24. swing — music

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