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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. branch — a division
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. kick — in football
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. stock — shares
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bear — the animal
  21. scale — in music
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. straw — dry grass

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