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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. spring — of water
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. spring — a coil
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. board — a committee
  15. spring — the season
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — shares
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. board — to get on
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. saw — the tool

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