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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: bass · track · hide · trunk · rest · stock · nail · branch

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. track — a song
  3. stock — goods
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. track — to keep track
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rest — a break
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — low music
  10. branch — a division
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. stock — shares
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. rest — what's left
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. track — a path
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. branch — of a tree

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