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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: prune · branch · game · bound · drill · mark · scale · stock

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  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. drill — the tool
  2. stock — shares
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. branch — a division
  5. bound — tied together
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. drill — a practice
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bound — certain
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. scale — in music
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bound — obliged
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — size or range
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. game — a match
  22. mark — a trace
  23. drill — army training
  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