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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — a phone
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mark — a trace
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. stock — shares
  9. fall — the season
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. mark — a grade
  14. branch — a division
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stand — to bear
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. fall — to drop

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