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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. club — for dancing
  4. present — the time now
  5. club — a group
  6. chest — a box
  7. present — a gift
  8. field — a subject
  9. club — for golf
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bank — for money
  12. net — after costs
  13. bank — for money
  14. net — for catching
  15. cap — a hat
  16. net — in sport
  17. stock — goods
  18. field — farmland
  19. chest — of your body
  20. present — there
  21. field — for sport
  22. stock — shares
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — of ice

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