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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: firm · mine · branch · stock · game · fan · capital · scale

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. mine — for digging
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. capital — money
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. branch — a division
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. game — wild animals
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. firm — a company
  13. stock — goods
  14. capital — a city
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. firm — decided
  17. firm — steady
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. game — a match
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. stock — shares

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