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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — a division
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. stock — goods
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. kid — to tease
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stock — shares
  13. bat — the animal
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bass — low music
  16. fork — in a road
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bass — the fish
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. kid — child

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