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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. craft — a skill
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. net — after costs
  5. stand — to bear
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. lean — thin
  8. drill — a practice
  9. saw — the tool
  10. drill — the tool
  11. lean — to bend
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — shares
  14. branch — a division
  15. net — in sport
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. craft — boats
  18. net — for catching
  19. saw — the tool
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. drill — army training
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. craft — a handicraft

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