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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. band — a music group
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. court — of a king
  5. band — a ring
  6. mate — a partner
  7. stock — shares
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. mate — to breed
  10. stock — goods
  11. court — of law
  12. face — part of the head
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mug — a cup
  17. face — to point toward
  18. court — for sport
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. face — to confront
  21. mug — a face
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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