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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  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. net — for catching
  2. charge — electricity
  3. net — in sport
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. charge — a price
  6. ground — crushed
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. hand — help
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. charge — in control
  15. net — after costs
  16. stem — to come from
  17. ground — the earth
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. ground — a position
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — shares
  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