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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: wave · chest · row · stock · branch · kick · mark · bulb

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — shares
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bulb — for light
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. mark — a trace
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. row — a line
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. row — to paddle
  14. chest — of your body
  15. kick — in football
  16. branch — a division
  17. stock — goods
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bulb — for light
  21. chest — a box
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. branch — of a bank

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