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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: stock · lean · rock · prune · branch · file · hand · plane

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. stock — shares
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. hand — help
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. branch — a division
  10. hand — in cards
  11. plane — a tool
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. stock — goods
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. rock — music
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. rock — a stone
  18. file — a document
  19. lean — to bend
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — thin
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. file — a tool

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