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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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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 · rash · last · ball · branch · wound · chest · racket

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. wound — an injury
  5. last — final
  6. stock — goods
  7. ball — a great time
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ball — a dance
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. chest — a box
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rash — a series
  19. stock — shares
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rash — hasty
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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