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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: wound · ball · stock · track · shower · branch · pit · cue

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. pit — in a race
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. track — a song
  5. cue — for pool
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pit — a hole
  13. track — to keep track
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — goods
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. cue — a hint
  18. track — a path
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a great time
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — to wash
  23. ball — a dance
  24. wound — an injury

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