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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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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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. rock — music
  4. spring — a coil
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. branch — a division
  10. fall — to drop
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stock — shares
  14. spring — of water
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. fall — the season
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. fall — to drop
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. spring — the season
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — to move gently

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