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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 120 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bear — the animal
  4. kid — child
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. branch — a division
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. kid — to tease
  11. sharp — clever
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. can — a tin
  14. stock — goods
  15. can — to be able to
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. can — a tin
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. stock — shares
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. scale — in music

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