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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. rash — hasty
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. scale — in music
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — the animal
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. scale — size or range
  13. stock — shares
  14. rash — a series
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stock — goods
  18. stand — to bear
  19. branch — a division
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bat — in an idiom

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