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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. chip — for betting
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. swing — music
  6. stock — goods
  7. branch — a division
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rush — hurry
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. swing — in golf
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. swing — to play on
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. shower — rain
  17. chip — to eat
  18. fall — to drop
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. fall — the season
  22. stock — shares
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. shower — to wash

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