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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. chip — for betting
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. branch — a division
  7. rash — hasty
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. mine — for digging
  10. rash — a series
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. fork — in a road
  15. stock — goods
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. stock — shares
  19. staff — a stick
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. staff — employees
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. chip — to eat
  24. fan — a supporter

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