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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. can — a tin
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. branch — a division
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. scale — size or range
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. can — a tin
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. hand — help
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. scale — in music
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. hand — in cards
  24. scale — for weighing

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