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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 116 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. snap — to click
  4. march — music
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. root — the cause
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. stock — shares
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. ground — crushed
  11. march — the month
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — of a plant
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bulb — for light
  18. march — the month
  19. bulb — for light
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. branch — a division
  23. stock — goods
  24. bulb — of a plant

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