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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. stock — shares
  4. last — finally
  5. march — music
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. last — final
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. tear — to rip
  11. stock — goods
  12. present — the time now
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. present — a gift
  17. present — there
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. march — the month
  21. tear — from crying
  22. march — the month
  23. tear — from crying
  24. last — to go on

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