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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. band — a music group
  4. pitch — completely
  5. band — a ring
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. suit — clothes
  9. lean — thin
  10. suit — in cards
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. branch — a division
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. court — of a king
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. lean — to bend
  18. court — of law
  19. stock — shares
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. stock — goods
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. court — for sport
  24. trunk — 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