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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. net — in sport
  4. branch — a division
  5. season — of the year
  6. cap — of ice
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. season — in sport
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — newspapers
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. drill — a practice
  14. net — for catching
  15. cap — a hat
  16. drill — army training
  17. press — to push
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — to drill
  23. stock — goods
  24. net — after costs

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