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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. rest — what's left
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. swing — music
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. rest — a break
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. stock — shares
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. swing — to play on
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. swing — in golf
  20. branch — a division
  21. stock — goods
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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