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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 116 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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. board — to get on
  3. stock — goods
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. branch — a division
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. swing — in golf
  10. field — farmland
  11. swing — to play on
  12. saw — the tool
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. board — a committee
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. swing — music
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. shower — to wash
  23. stock — shares
  24. shower — rain

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