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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. chair — a leader
  3. spring — a coil
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. cap — a lid
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. spring — of water
  9. rash — hasty
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. fine — high quality
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — goods
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. stock — shares
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. spring — the season
  19. rash — a series
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. cap — a hat
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. cap — of ice

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