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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. spring — a coil
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — to handle
  8. spring — of water
  9. stock — goods
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. season — of the year
  12. stock — shares
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. branch — a division
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. spring — the season
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. chair — a leader
  21. board — to get on
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. board — a committee
  24. season — in sport

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