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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fork · rule · clip · mouse · branch · stock · plane · field

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. plane — a tool
  3. field — a subject
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. rule — government
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. field — farmland
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rule — a law
  14. clip — for paper
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. fork — in a road
  20. branch — a division
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. field — for sport
  24. stock — goods

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