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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 120 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — a division
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mate — a friend
  6. board — to get on
  7. prune — to trim
  8. stock — shares
  9. bat — the animal
  10. board — a committee
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. wind — moving air
  13. rock — a stone
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. rock — music
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. stock — goods
  18. mate — a partner
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. mate — to breed
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bat — in an idiom

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