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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 broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. last — finally
  3. deal — to handle
  4. last — final
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. last — to go on
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. stock — shares
  13. band — a ring
  14. branch — a division
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stock — goods
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. wound — an injury
  24. band — a music group

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