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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. stock — goods
  3. field — farmland
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. field — for sport
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — a permit
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. field — a subject
  14. bank — of a river
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bank — for money
  17. branch — a division
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. stock — shares
  23. wake — a trail
  24. trunk — of a tree

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