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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 · craft · chair · branch · bank · bat · wound · squash

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bat — the animal
  5. craft — boats
  6. stock — shares
  7. bank — of a river
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. branch — a division
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bank — for money
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. wound — an injury
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. stock — goods
  19. bank — for money
  20. squash — the sport
  21. wound — an injury
  22. craft — a skill
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. squash — the vegetable

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