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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 120 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: bank · current · branch · spring · wax · wound · stock · game

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bank — of a river
  6. current — electric
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bank — for money
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. current — happening now
  11. bank — for money
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. current — of water
  14. wax — to grow
  15. game — wild animals
  16. spring — of water
  17. stock — goods
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. wound — an injury
  21. game — a match
  22. branch — a division
  23. wound — an injury
  24. spring — the season

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