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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. branch — a division
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a document
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rock — music
  9. perch — the fish
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. staff — employees
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. stock — goods
  14. rock — a stone
  15. board — to get on
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. board — a committee
  18. stock — shares
  19. staff — employees
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — the fish

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