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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. race — the arms race
  4. deal — to handle
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. stock — goods
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. race — humankind
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. branch — a division
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. last — final
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. stock — shares
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. race — a contest
  24. stem — to come from

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