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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 120 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. key — for a lock
  4. rest — what's left
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. rest — a break
  8. rash — hasty
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. stock — goods
  13. rest — what's left
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rash — a series
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. key — in music
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — to wash
  21. key — the most important part
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. stock — shares
  24. rash — on the skin

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