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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: bore · rock · straw · stock · file · branch

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. stock — shares
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to drill
  8. file — a document
  9. rock — a stone
  10. file — a line of people
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. rock — music
  13. branch — a division
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bore — to tire
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. file — a tool
  18. stock — goods

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