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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cue — a hint
  3. stock — goods
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. stock — shares
  6. bulb — for light
  7. branch — a division
  8. plane — a tool
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — the cause
  11. cue — a signal
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cue — for pool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. root — of a plant
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — not warm

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