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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.

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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chest — a box
  5. pass — a permit
  6. band — a music group
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. branch — a division
  9. stock — goods
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. chest — of your body
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. band — a ring
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. stock — shares
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. band — a rubber band

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