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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 · foot · stick · sharp · cabinet · branch · ground · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stock — goods
  11. ground — the earth
  12. stock — shares
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — soda
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. sharp — clever
  18. ground — a position
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. ground — crushed

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