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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — goods
  6. bank — for money
  7. season — of the year
  8. bank — of a river
  9. season — in sport
  10. stock — shares
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. branch — a division
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bank — for money
  18. march — the month
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bat — for baseball

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