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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.

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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. can — to be able to
  3. branch — a division
  4. squash — to crush
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — for paper
  7. can — a tin
  8. clip — a video
  9. saw — the tool
  10. charge — a price
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — the sport
  13. charge — in control
  14. roll — a list
  15. stock — goods
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. can — a tin
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. charge — electricity
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. stock — shares

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