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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: bat · leaves · prune · root · branch · deal · date · stock

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. stock — shares
  3. branch — a division
  4. root — of a plant
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bat — the animal
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. root — the cause
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. stock — goods
  14. prune — to trim
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. root — of a word
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. prune — to trim
  19. deal — to handle
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. date — the fruit
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bat — for baseball

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