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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. stock — shares
  3. root — of a word
  4. branch — a division
  5. root — the cause
  6. march — music
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. march — the month
  9. root — of a plant
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a great time
  14. hand — help
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. march — the month
  17. stock — goods
  18. hand — in cards
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — to shout
  24. stock — a soup base

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