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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 120 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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. ground — crushed
  4. branch — a division
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. stock — shares
  7. rash — hasty
  8. stock — goods
  9. root — of a plant
  10. rash — a series
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. root — of a word
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. vault — a safe
  16. pound — a weight
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bank — for money
  20. root — the cause
  21. ground — a position
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bank — for money
  24. ground — the earth

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