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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. lean — thin
  3. track — a path
  4. stock — goods
  5. degree — an amount
  6. mark — a trace
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. stock — shares
  10. degree — temperature
  11. mark — a grade
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a song
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. degree — from a university
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. branch — a division
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. lean — to bend
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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