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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: ball · branch · root · bark · track · dip · stock · hand

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. hand — help
  7. ball — a dance
  8. stock — goods
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. ball — a great time
  11. track — a song
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. stock — shares
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — the cause
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. track — a path
  20. branch — a division
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. dip — to sink
  24. root — of a word

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