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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 116 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: branch · track · mine · snap · stock · firm · bark · bear

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. stock — shares
  3. track — a song
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bear — the animal
  6. branch — a division
  7. bark — to shout
  8. mine — for digging
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. stock — goods
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. track — a path
  19. firm — decided
  20. firm — steady
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. firm — a company
  24. branch — of a tree

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