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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · branch · fan · stick · stock · chair · rule · swing

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. branch — a division
  3. shower — to wash
  4. rule — a law
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. shower — rain
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. swing — to play on
  9. stock — shares
  10. swing — in golf
  11. rule — government
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. chair — a leader
  16. swing — music
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stock — goods
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. stock — a soup base

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