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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — music
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. lean — to bend
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. saw — the tool
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. stock — shares
  11. lean — thin
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. stock — goods
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. pop — soda
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. capital — money
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. capital — a city
  23. branch — a division
  24. ruler — for measuring

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