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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: branch · lean · board · stock · rest · face · hand · deal

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. face — to point toward
  3. branch — a division
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. rest — what's left
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. stock — goods
  9. rest — a break
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. stock — shares
  12. face — to confront
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — to bend
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. lean — thin
  17. hand — help
  18. deal — to handle
  19. hand — in cards
  20. rest — what's left
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. board — a committee
  23. face — part of the head
  24. deal — a big deal

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