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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. cue — a signal
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cue — for pool
  8. capital — money
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. cue — a hint
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. capital — a city
  19. squash — to crush
  20. mine — for digging
  21. branch — a division
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. stock — goods

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