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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bank — for money
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. branch — a division
  8. swing — music
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. swing — to play on
  12. hand — help
  13. swing — in golf
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bank — of a river
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stock — goods
  19. hand — in cards
  20. stock — shares
  21. bear — the animal
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bank — for money
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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