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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. mug — to rob
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. stock — shares
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mug — a face
  9. branch — a division
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. land — to come down
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mug — a cup
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. chair — a leader
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. stock — goods
  23. land — a country
  24. branch — of a tree

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