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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. foot — a measure
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. spell — letters
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. stock — goods
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. spell — magic
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. vault — a safe
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. spell — a short time
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — to come from
  21. face — to confront
  22. branch — a division
  23. season — of the year
  24. branch — of a bank

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