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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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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 · stock · file · coach · snap · branch · saw · dip

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. saw — the tool
  4. file — a tool
  5. snap — to click
  6. dip — to sink
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — a division
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. chair — a leader
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a line of people

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