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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. object — an aim
  4. staff — employees
  5. branch — a division
  6. row — a line
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. staff — employees
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. staff — a stick
  13. stock — goods
  14. row — to paddle
  15. content — happy
  16. content — the amount
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to click
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. stock — shares
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. object — to protest
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. object — a thing

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