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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. fork — in a road
  9. stock — goods
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. cell — in biology
  13. season — of the year
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. can — to be able to
  17. can — a tin
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. stock — shares
  20. shower — rain
  21. can — a tin
  22. cell — a phone
  23. season — in sport
  24. shower — to wash

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