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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. press — to push
  5. bass — the fish
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. wind — moving air
  8. press — a publisher
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. face — to point toward
  11. stock — shares
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. face — part of the head
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bass — low music
  19. shower — to wash
  20. face — to confront
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. press — newspapers
  23. shower — rain
  24. stand — to bear

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