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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 116 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. stock — goods
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stock — shares
  8. swing — to play on
  9. face — to point toward
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. face — to confront
  12. tear — to rip
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. wake — a trail
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. tear — from crying
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. face — part of the head
  22. branch — a division
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. tear — from crying

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