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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: branch · spring · nail · march · stock · chair · mouse · content

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. march — the month
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. content — happy
  5. march — music
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. content — the amount
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. chair — a leader
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. spring — of water
  14. branch — a division
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. spring — a coil
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. stock — shares
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. spring — the season
  22. march — the month
  23. stock — goods
  24. chair — a professorship

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