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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. present — a gift
  3. kid — to tease
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. stock — shares
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. branch — a division
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. present — there
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. pop — music
  14. foot — a measure
  15. lean — to bend
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. lean — thin
  20. present — the time now
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. kid — child

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