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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: fall · stock · fine · ball · bear · branch · net · stem

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. branch — a division
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fine — high quality
  6. stock — goods
  7. net — for catching
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. net — in sport
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stem — to come from
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. ball — a great time
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. net — after costs
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bear — the animal
  23. fine — all right
  24. stem — a stem cell

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