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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 who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. field — for sport
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. stock — goods
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — certain
  8. field — a subject
  9. stock — shares
  10. object — an aim
  11. bound — tied together
  12. object — a thing
  13. game — a match
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. branch — a division
  18. fall — to drop
  19. hand — help
  20. game — wild animals
  21. fall — the season
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. object — to protest
  24. field — farmland

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