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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. swing — to play on
  4. stock — goods
  5. swing — music
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. prune — to trim
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. kid — to tease
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. toast — bread
  14. prune — to trim
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. kid — child
  19. stock — shares
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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