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

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. track — to keep track
  5. field — farmland
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. field — for sport
  8. stock — goods
  9. branch — a division
  10. stock — shares
  11. field — a subject
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. chair — a leader
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. land — ground
  18. stem — to come from
  19. track — a path
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. track — a song
  24. stock — a soup base

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