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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: stock · rule · fork · kick · swing · spell · branch · tube

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. spell — magic
  4. rule — a law
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. branch — a division
  8. swing — to play on
  9. spell — a short time
  10. swing — music
  11. tube — a container
  12. kick — in football
  13. fork — in a road
  14. spell — letters
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — goods
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. stock — shares
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. tube — the underground
  24. swing — in golf

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