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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: branch · stock · court · mouse · ground · band · dip · rock

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. band — a ring
  3. rock — a stone
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. court — for sport
  10. band — a music group
  11. branch — a division
  12. ground — the earth
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. stock — shares
  17. dip — to sink
  18. court — of law
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. stock — goods
  22. ground — crushed
  23. court — of a king
  24. dip — to dunk

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