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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. hand — help
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. stock — shares
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. lean — thin
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. lean — to bend
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. rush — hurry
  19. hand — in cards
  20. season — in sport
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. stock — goods
  23. branch — a division
  24. wake — a trail

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