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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: plane · stock · club · season · chip · spring · branch · chest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. spring — the season
  3. plane — a tool
  4. stock — goods
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. branch — a division
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. club — a group
  9. spring — a coil
  10. chest — of your body
  11. spring — of water
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. season — of the year
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. chest — a box
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. chip — to eat
  18. stock — shares
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. season — in sport
  21. chip — for betting
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — for dancing

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