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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 124 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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  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. branch — of a bank
  2. season — in sport
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wind — moving air
  6. season — of the year
  7. field — a subject
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wind — moving air
  12. branch — a division
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. field — for sport
  17. stock — shares
  18. field — farmland
  19. rest — a break
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  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