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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: chest · cell · branch · plane · lean · drill · board · stock

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. plane — a tool
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. branch — a division
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. board — a committee
  10. stock — shares
  11. chest — a box
  12. lean — thin
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. cell — a phone
  15. board — to get on
  16. drill — army training
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. cell — in biology
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. lean — to bend
  22. chest — of your body
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. chest — of your body

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