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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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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: capital · face · drill · bank · stock · branch · rock · rule

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — a law
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. face — to confront
  6. rock — music
  7. face — part of the head
  8. capital — a city
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bank — of a river
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bank — for money
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. drill — army training
  17. branch — a division
  18. bank — for money
  19. face — to point toward
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. stock — shares
  23. rock — a stone
  24. capital — money

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