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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. land — ground
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. spell — letters
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — goods
  8. bass — low music
  9. land — a country
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. court — for sport
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bass — the fish
  14. court — of law
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. land — to come down
  18. fine — high quality
  19. court — of a king
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. stock — shares
  22. spell — magic
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — a penalty

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