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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.

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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: deal · hand · stock · cabinet · lean · branch · game · mate

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. branch — a division
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — to breed
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. lean — to bend
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. stock — goods
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. stock — shares
  12. hand — help
  13. mate — a friend
  14. deal — to handle
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. lean — thin
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. hand — in cards
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. game — wild animals

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