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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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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: straw · stock · capital · kick · nail · branch · staff · bark

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. branch — a division
  4. capital — money
  5. stock — goods
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. stock — shares
  8. staff — employees
  9. bark — to shout
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. staff — employees
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. kick — in football
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. staff — a stick
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. capital — a city

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