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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. branch — a division
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. mate — a friend
  10. net — in sport
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. mate — a partner
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mate — to breed
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. lean — to bend
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. stock — shares
  24. fork — in a road

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