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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. branch — a division
  3. present — there
  4. bound — certain
  5. court — for sport
  6. stock — goods
  7. bound — tied together
  8. court — of law
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. kid — child
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. court — of a king
  14. present — the time now
  15. row — to paddle
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. stock — shares
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bound — obliged
  20. object — to protest
  21. object — an aim
  22. kid — to tease
  23. row — a line
  24. present — a gift

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