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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 120 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: kid · branch · current · march · prune · stem · row · stock

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. current — happening now
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. prune — to trim
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. prune — to trim
  10. current — of water
  11. march — music
  12. kid — child
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. kid — to tease
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — shares
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. march — the month
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. march — the month
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. branch — a division
  23. current — electric
  24. row — a line

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