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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 120 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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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: rush · stock · board · branch · file · track · bank · drill

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. rush — hurry
  3. track — a song
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. board — a committee
  6. stock — goods
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. file — a tool
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. drill — a practice
  11. board — to get on
  12. file — a line of people
  13. drill — the tool
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bank — for money
  16. track — to keep track
  17. drill — army training
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. track — a path
  23. stock — shares
  24. file — a document

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