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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. squash — to crush
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. can — a tin
  5. field — for sport
  6. stock — goods
  7. branch — a division
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. tube — a container
  12. hand — help
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bulb — for light
  15. stock — shares
  16. field — a subject
  17. hand — in cards
  18. field — farmland
  19. can — a tin
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bulb — for light
  22. squash — the sport
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. can — to be able to

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