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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: branch · shower · field · staff · perch · ball · sharp · stock

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. staff — employees
  4. field — farmland
  5. branch — a division
  6. stock — shares
  7. field — a subject
  8. ball — a great time
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. shower — rain
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. ball — a dance
  14. staff — employees
  15. stock — goods
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. staff — a stick
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. perch — the fish
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — to wash
  22. sharp — clever
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. stock — a soup base

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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