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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. branch — a division
  5. current — electric
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cue — a hint
  8. kid — child
  9. cue — for pool
  10. bear — the animal
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. current — happening now
  13. current — of water
  14. land — ground
  15. cue — a signal
  16. land — a country
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. kid — to tease
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stock — goods
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. land — to come down

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