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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 124 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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. chair — a leader
  7. face — to point toward
  8. stem — to come from
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. deal — to handle
  11. face — to confront
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. branch — a division
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — the fruit
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. face — part of the head

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