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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. spring — the season
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. can — to be able to
  8. spring — a coil
  9. object — to protest
  10. can — a tin
  11. object — an aim
  12. last — finally
  13. chair — a leader
  14. last — to go on
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. stock — goods
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. last — final
  19. board — a committee
  20. object — a thing
  21. spring — of water
  22. stock — shares
  23. can — a tin
  24. branch — a division

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