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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. hand — help
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. pit — a hole
  5. stock — goods
  6. saw — the tool
  7. scale — size or range
  8. branch — a division
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. pit — in a race
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. swing — to play on
  14. saw — the tool
  15. swing — music
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stock — shares
  18. rest — a break
  19. swing — in golf
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. rest — what's left
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — in music
  24. hand — in cards

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