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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. march — the month
  4. fall — to drop
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bulb — for light
  9. branch — a division
  10. stock — goods
  11. march — the month
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a city
  17. stock — shares
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. march — music
  22. fall — the season
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. fall — to drop

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