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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. stock — goods
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. capital — money
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. charge — in control
  9. charge — electricity
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. stock — shares
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. charge — a price
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. capital — a city
  22. branch — a division
  23. wake — a trail
  24. capital — a big letter

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