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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: drill · bound · spell · stock · season · ground · racket · branch

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. stock — goods
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. ground — the earth
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. season — of the year
  7. ground — crushed
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. season — in sport
  11. drill — army training
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — letters
  16. branch — a division
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. stock — shares
  20. drill — a practice
  21. ground — a position
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bound — obliged
  24. spell — magic

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