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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. stock — goods
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. shower — rain
  9. bear — the animal
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bear — the animal
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. cell — in biology
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. stock — shares
  22. shower — to wash
  23. branch — a division
  24. cell — a phone

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