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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bat — the animal
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. court — of a king
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. stock — shares
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. spell — a short time
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. branch — a division
  20. spell — letters
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. spell — magic

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