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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. net — for catching
  3. saw — the tool
  4. track — to keep track
  5. stock — goods
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. current — electric
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. net — in sport
  13. track — a path
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pound — a weight
  16. current — of water
  17. branch — a division
  18. current — happening now
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — a practice
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. track — a song
  23. net — after costs
  24. drill — the tool

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