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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bound — tied together
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. stock — goods
  8. mate — a friend
  9. can — to be able to
  10. mate — a partner
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. cold — an illness
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mate — to breed
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. can — a tin
  18. stock — shares
  19. bound — obliged
  20. cold — not warm
  21. can — a tin
  22. bound — certain
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. tear — to rip

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