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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. craft — a skill
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. perch — the fish
  5. field — a subject
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. drill — army training
  10. branch — a division
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. craft — boats
  14. field — for sport
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. field — farmland
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. fine — all right
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. stock — goods
  24. fine — high quality

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