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

Word bank: drill · stock · bound · season · perch · temple · spring · branch

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. drill — army training
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bound — obliged
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. branch — a division
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bound — tied together
  10. season — of the year
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. season — in sport
  15. perch — the fish
  16. spring — the season
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. drill — the tool
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bound — certain
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. stock — shares
  24. drill — a practice

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