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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — a tin
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. net — after costs
  6. club — for golf
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rest — what's left
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. rest — a break
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. rest — what's left
  13. net — in sport
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. net — for catching
  16. shower — to wash
  17. wind — moving air
  18. club — a group
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wind — moving air
  21. can — to be able to
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — rain
  24. branch — a division

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