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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. perch — the fish
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bore — to tire
  6. stock — goods
  7. swing — music
  8. stock — shares
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. shower — to wash
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. swing — in golf
  16. object — an aim
  17. shower — rain
  18. object — to protest
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bore — to drill
  21. swing — to play on
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. object — a thing

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