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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. rule — a law
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bark — to shout
  5. fine — high quality
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. kid — child
  8. stock — shares
  9. perch — the fish
  10. track — a song
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. rule — government
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. fine — all right
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a path
  19. branch — a division
  20. kid — to tease
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. stock — goods

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