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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. stock — goods
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. charge — electricity
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. charge — in control
  17. ball — a great time
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — shares
  21. rush — hurry
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. charge — a price
  24. ball — a dance

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