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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. spring — the season
  3. perch — the fish
  4. spring — a coil
  5. net — for catching
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. spring — of water
  8. court — of law
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — goods
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. court — of a king
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. court — for sport
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. net — in sport
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pass — a permit
  22. net — after costs
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pass — to succeed

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