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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. stock — goods
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. branch — a division
  6. squash — the sport
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. net — after costs
  9. stock — shares
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a trace
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. net — for catching
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. mark — a grade
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — to grow
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. squash — to crush
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stem — to come from
  23. net — in sport
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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