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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: chair · branch · stem · land · saw · leaves · rest · stock

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. 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. saw — past of 'see'
  2. stock — shares
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. chair — a leader
  6. land — a country
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. rest — a break
  9. land — to come down
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. rest — what's left
  12. land — ground
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. branch — a division
  18. rest — what's left
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. saw — the tool
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. saw — the tool
  24. 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