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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. stock — goods
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. hand — help
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. rest — what's left
  9. degree — temperature
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. degree — an amount
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. stock — shares
  16. degree — from a university
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. rest — what's left
  19. hand — in cards
  20. rest — a break
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. fan — a supporter

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