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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: saw · lie · file · stock · object · club · spell · branch

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. stock — shares
  3. object — a thing
  4. object — an aim
  5. lie — to recline
  6. spell — a short time
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a line of people
  9. stock — goods
  10. branch — a division
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. file — a tool
  13. spell — letters
  14. club — for golf
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. spell — magic
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. object — to protest
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. club — for dancing
  24. saw — the tool

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