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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. stock — goods
  4. swing — in golf
  5. object — to protest
  6. swing — music
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. toast — bread
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. object — a thing
  14. row — a line
  15. lie — to recline
  16. object — an aim
  17. stock — shares
  18. hand — help
  19. row — to paddle
  20. swing — to play on
  21. hand — in cards
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. lie — an untruth

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