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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. game — a match
  4. roll — a list
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. game — wild animals
  10. track — a song
  11. wax — to grow
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. rule — a law
  15. bulb — for light
  16. track — to keep track
  17. stock — shares
  18. rule — government
  19. track — a path
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. wax — in the ear

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