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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: branch · content · track · can · clip · stock · capital · bark

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. track — a path
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. clip — to cut
  5. stock — goods
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. capital — a city
  9. can — a tin
  10. bark — to shout
  11. can — to be able to
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. capital — money
  14. can — a tin
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. clip — for paper
  17. content — the amount
  18. stock — shares
  19. clip — a video
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. track — a song
  22. content — happy
  23. track — to keep track
  24. branch — a division

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