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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 116 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: trunk · dip · branch · bore · stock · pitcher · saw · fall

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. stock — goods
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. fall — to drop
  8. dip — to sink
  9. saw — the tool
  10. stock — shares
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. fall — the season
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. branch — a division
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. fall — to drop
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bore — to tire

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