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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 · mate · foot · tube · spring · content · suit · stock

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. foot — a measure
  3. suit — in cards
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. mate — a friend
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — the underground
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. content — happy
  10. stock — goods
  11. mate — a partner
  12. suit — to fit
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. spring — of water
  17. content — the amount
  18. spring — the season
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. spring — a coil
  21. suit — clothes
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. stock — shares

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