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

Word bank: club · jam · branch · toast · tear · file · rest · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. rest — a break
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rest — what's left
  5. tear — from crying
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. file — a line of people
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. branch — a division
  11. club — for golf
  12. toast — bread
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. tear — to rip
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. stock — goods
  18. rest — what's left
  19. club — a group
  20. file — a tool
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. club — for dancing
  24. file — a document

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