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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 116 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. drill — the tool
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. drill — army training
  9. tear — from crying
  10. squash — to crush
  11. tear — from crying
  12. drill — a practice
  13. branch — a division
  14. rock — a stone
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — goods
  17. rock — music
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. mine — for digging

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