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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: calf · stock · ground · row · mine · last · stick · branch

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. ground — a position
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. branch — a division
  6. ground — crushed
  7. mine — for digging
  8. last — to go on
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. last — finally
  13. stock — shares
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. ground — the earth
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. last — final
  21. row — a line
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. row — to paddle

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