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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 116 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 · staff · branch · mark · coach · spring · band · scale

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. staff — a stick
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. staff — employees
  5. band — a ring
  6. branch — a division
  7. mark — a trace
  8. band — a music group
  9. spring — of water
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mark — a grade
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. stock — goods
  15. scale — size or range
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. staff — employees
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. spring — the season
  21. scale — in music
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mark — to pay attention

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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