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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bore — to tire
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. spell — letters
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. dip — to sink
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bulb — for light
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. spell — magic
  19. rock — a stone
  20. spell — a short time
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — shares
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bulb — for light

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