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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — a division
  3. bass — the fish
  4. craft — a skill
  5. band — a ring
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bass — low music
  9. band — a music group
  10. stock — shares
  11. spring — a coil
  12. ground — the earth
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. spring — the season
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. stock — goods
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. ground — crushed
  19. vault — a safe
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. craft — boats
  22. ground — a position
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. spring — of water

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