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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 120 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: mark · land · branch · wake · stock · foot · chair · bass

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. land — ground
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. branch — a division
  6. foot — a measure
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. land — a country
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. stock — shares
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. mark — a grade
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the fish
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. land — to come down
  21. chair — a leader
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bass — the instrument

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