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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stock — shares
  6. plane — a tool
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. wake — a trail
  12. branch — a division
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. chair — a leader
  22. dip — to sink
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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