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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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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: stock · saw · cabinet · wake · lie · chip · game · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lie — to recline
  6. game — wild animals
  7. stock — shares
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stock — goods
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. chip — for betting
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. chip — to eat
  14. game — a match
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. wake — a trail
  24. branch — of a bank

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