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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. mate — a partner
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. branch — a division
  9. net — in sport
  10. scale — in music
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. stock — goods
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. stock — shares
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — a professorship

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