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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. branch — a division
  3. ground — crushed
  4. stock — shares
  5. chest — of your body
  6. ground — a position
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. land — a country
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bass — low music
  11. land — to come down
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bass — the fish
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — goods
  16. cap — of ice
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cap — a lid
  20. chest — a box
  21. land — ground
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. foot — a measure
  24. cap — a hat

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