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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wind · face · mate · rash · object · branch · chair · stock

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rash — a series
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rash — hasty
  6. stock — shares
  7. chair — a leader
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. face — to confront
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. mate — a partner
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. object — a thing
  16. face — part of the head
  17. object — an aim
  18. mate — to breed
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. mate — a friend
  21. face — to point toward
  22. object — to protest
  23. branch — a division
  24. stock — goods

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