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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. chip — for betting
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. suit — to fit
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. suit — in cards
  7. field — farmland
  8. stock — shares
  9. wind — moving air
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. kid — to tease
  12. chip — to eat
  13. craft — a skill
  14. field — for sport
  15. branch — a division
  16. suit — clothes
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. kid — child
  19. wind — moving air
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. field — a subject
  22. stock — goods
  23. craft — boats
  24. stock — a soup base

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