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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. cue — a signal
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. rock — music
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. band — a music group
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. lean — to bend
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. cue — for pool
  13. lean — thin
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. branch — a division
  17. cue — a hint
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — goods
  22. rock — a stone
  23. band — a ring
  24. wound — an injury

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