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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 ________________ took off on time.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. rash — a series
  3. pound — a weight
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. rash — hasty
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. content — happy
  9. drill — the tool
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. drill — a practice
  13. content — the amount
  14. stock — goods
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. drill — army training
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. stock — shares
  23. plane — a tool
  24. branch — a division

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