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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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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 · last · wound · sharp · pound · pop · bay · branch

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. pop — soda
  6. wound — an injury
  7. last — finally
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pop — to visit
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. last — final
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. stock — shares
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. last — to go on
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pop — music
  20. stock — goods
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. branch — a division

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