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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 · can · wound · stand · branch · roll · ground · mine

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. can — to be able to
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — goods
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. ground — a position
  10. roll — a list
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. stock — shares
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. roll — a cake
  21. mine — for digging
  22. stand — to bear
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. branch — a division

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