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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: stick · branch · rash · key · fine · lean · field · stock

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. field — farmland
  5. key — in music
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — to bend
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stock — goods
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — a division
  14. key — for a lock
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. fine — high quality
  17. key — the most important part
  18. lean — thin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. field — for sport
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. stock — shares
  24. rash — a series

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