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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 · branch · pit · rule · press · bay · wound · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  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. cell — in a prison
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. cell — a phone
  4. wound — an injury
  5. branch — a division
  6. rule — a law
  7. cell — in biology
  8. pit — in a race
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. press — to push
  11. stock — shares
  12. press — a publisher
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. pit — a hole
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rule — government
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. stock — goods
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  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