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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 116 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
468
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: chair · kick · racket · can · wave · branch · stock · spring

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. stock — goods
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. kick — in football
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. spring — of water
  11. chair — a leader
  12. can — to be able to
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. can — a tin
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. spring — the season
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. spring — a coil
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. can — a tin
  24. wave — of the sea

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