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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — of the year
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. rash — hasty
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — goods
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. fall — to drop
  18. lean — thin
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rash — a series
  23. branch — a division
  24. season — in sport

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